7 women, 1 mission: In Haryana’s Hisar, a police team fights harassment, builds trust

Head Constable Kiran Dhillon, a leading member of the team, recalls an incident involving a 15-year-old schoolgirl and her photograph with a boy. “He began harassing her, threatening to morph the photo to make it appear she was with another boy and send it to her parents. She contacted us in October, and we informed the station house officer, who summoned the boy, directed him to delete the photo, and warned that he would face prosecution if he continued,” said Dhillon. The boy was released after being cautioned under Section 172 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which requires all persons to comply with the lawful directions of police officers.

Assistant Sub Inspector Usha, Head Constable Saroj, and Constables Anisha, Sanju, Rajbir Kaur and Neelam are other members of the team.

One of the members of the Women Safety Cell interacting with college girls.

When the team encounters boys or young men harassing women, they say they issue warnings. If the behaviour persists, the matter is referred to the local station house officer (SHO), who calls the offenders and cautions them that an FIR may be lodged. In such complaints, it is the accused boys or youngsters who are summoned to the police station, not the girls or women.

Dhillon recalls another case where a 22-year-old woman from a nearby village reported that her former boyfriend was pressuring her to keep talking to him, threatening to reveal their past friendship to her father. “She was frightened because her marriage was scheduled for November this year. She asked us to intervene. He was called to a police station where policemen instructed the young man to delete her photos immediately or face action. That was enough to reassure her, as she did not want an FIR against him,” Dhillon explained.

According to the team members, social media has become a common tool for harassment. In September, a 22-year-old college student complained that a youth was sending vulgar images and comments to her Instagram account and threatening to edit her photos and make them viral. Not wanting to involve her parents, she approached the team. When the matter was taken to the police station, the youth apologised and promised not to repeat the behaviour, the team members say.

One of the members of the Women Safety Cell interacting with school girls.

A Class 10 student recently reported that a 45-year-old shopkeeper made obscene gestures whenever she visited his shop. “He would serve other shopkeepers first and then make inappropriate signals,” a team member recalled. The police acted under Section 172 of BNSS, securing an apology and a written undertaking from the shopkeeper not to repeat the offence. No FIR was lodged, as the family did not wish to pursue one.

During a visit to a government school in July, a Class 5 student revealed that a 40-year-old man had inappropriately touched her classmate. In this case, the police registered an FIR and arrested the accused.

Beyond schools and colleges, the team also visits coaching centres, bus stands, parks, and factories to raise awareness about women’s rights and relevant legal provisions.

‘A proactive effort’

Shashank Kumar Sawan, Superintendent of Police, Hisar, described the initiative as “a proactive effort in which our team visits institutions attended by girls and women so that we can act immediately whenever we receive information about harassment or stalking”.

“This is part of our attempt to build confidence among those who are hesitant to take the legal route. Based on feedback, we identify hotspots where eve-teasing occurs and take corrective measures,” he added.

SP Sawan said that the initiative complements the Dial-112 project, Haryana’s integrated Emergency Response Support System, which provides immediate assistance to distress calls across the state.

The SP further noted, “Our team stays in touch with complainants in cases that are under trial to ensure they are not pressured into compromise. We have received inputs about 3-4 instances where attempts were being made to pressurise complainants, and we intervened to prevent that.”