Journalism of Courage
UT Adviser Dharam Pal on Monday directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to conduct a security review of all girls’ hostels and women paying guest facilities in the city, besides issuing a special police helpline number that can be used for reporting anything suspicious.
The directions by the Adviser — which came as a possible knee-jerk reaction after hundreds from Chandigarh University in Mohali launched a protest against the alleged leakage of objectionable videos of some of the students — also asked officials to reach out to women students in Chandigarh and sensitise them.
He added, “The police have also been asked to conduct checks at girls’ hostels in government colleges as well. Also, I have asked the police to start a new helpline number where girl students can contact the police to inform about anything suspicious.”
Activist writes to Administrator
Chandigarh-based social activist Ajay Jagga on Monday wrote to UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit and requested that security measures at PGs be stepped up, besides introducing the provision of visitor identity cards in girls hostels.
“These incidents have occurred in the past also, but no major changes were made. The fact of the matter is that such acts of recording moments of privacy of person and then sharing the same with a third person is an offence/cybercrime under the Information and Technology Act, 2000 and violation of the Article 21 of the Constitution of India — protection of life and liberty (which includes privacy). In today’s world, violation of privacy is a big issue,” he said.
Jagga added that an audit to find out the presence of any kind of recording equipment should be conducted at all hostels, educational institutions and in the changing rooms regularly. “The management should then submit its audit reportto the Chandigarh Administration (in case of a university, to the concerned office of the university). All visitor identity cards at girls hostels should have RFID chips to record the movement of people visiting such hostels as well as log their entry and exit. The reception/lobby is supposed to be covered under CCTV, with annual checks to figure out if these cameras are functioning,” he said.
“The boarders of a hostel, apart from being students, pay fees for accommodation. So they are consumers and deserve the best possible consumer protection against exploitations, like recording of their moments of privacy. The laxity in the measures is not in tune with the Prime Minister’s initiative for women empowerment and women-led development of the country,” he added.
DC issues order for women travellers at night
Apart from conducting checking at hostels, Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner, Vinay Pratap Singh, on Monday issued slew of orders for working women who travel at night.
In orders issued under Section 144 of the CrPC, Singh said, “There is a mushrooming of BPOs, prominently known as call centres, corporate houses, media houses, companies, organizations and firms in Chandigarh and nearby areas that offer employment opportunity for youths. The employees, including women from various parts of neighboring states, are stay in different parts of the city and other adjoining cities/villages. They are often provided a cab pick and drop from their residences and to their offices and back. As these organizations are functioning round-the-clock, the cabs are ferrying employees even at late night hours. These cabs are hired on a contract basis and their operators and drivers are not properly monitored to ensure safety of employees, resulting in grave danger to human life. It has come to notice that certain criminal and anti-social elements look for soft targets, particularly during night hours. The women employees who travel during late night hours are vulnerable to crime and criminal acts by such elements.”
The order further says that some check is necessary on such companies/organisations/employers providing pick and drop facility to their employees in late night hours, transporters, security agencies/guards and drivers.
“All such organisations are henceforth directed to maintain data of all employees, security personnel, cab drivers and contractual workers working with them, for access by the police as and when required,” the Deputy Commissioner said in the order.
It was also stated that security personnel and other contractual personnel should be hired as far as possible from licenced agencies only and proper verification of such employees be conducted.
He also directed that organisations have to ensure that women employees are not made to travel alone with the cab driver and a security guard or a male colleague is deployed in each cab carrying women staff during night hours — 8 pm to 7 am — and “choose the route in such a manner so that a woman employee is not the first one to be picked up or the last to be dropped.”
The DC also directed to ensure that during night hours, the cab involved in transportation of women employees stay at the point where a women employee is dropped, till she confirms her arrival at their residence/place of stay through a call. If the house of a woman employee is so located that the approach road is not motorable, then a guard or male colleague, during night hour, accompanies the employee on foot up to her house and takes a confirmation about her safe arrival.”
