Soon, ‘Himmat’ at your fingertips

Victims of acid attacks come together at Jantar Mantar to pay tribute to the December 16 gangrape victim and also to call for ban on easy sale of acid
across the country.

The Delhi Police has readied a proposal for Himmat, a smartphone app, which will allow users to call the police control room and also trigger a 30-second audio and video recording on the press of the phone’s power button. The app has been designed keeping in mind the safety of women. Police said they were waiting for a financial grant from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) before launching the app.
Police said Himmat will help women contact police in the quickest possible time in case of an emergency. Senior officers said though the app was developed keeping women in mind, it can be used by any smartphone user to contact police in the event of a crime.

A senior police officer said, “In the event of any crime or perceived threat to one’s security, a woman can send out an SOS to police by pressing the power button for a specified period of time. Also, there is provision for the app to simultaneously trigger an audio and video recording for 30 seconds. This provision has been made keeping in mind the need to secure crucial evidence in the event of a rape or molestation or the possibility of one.”

Also, the user will be asked to feed five emergency contact numbers of friends or relatives into the app’s data base. When an SOS call is made, a message will be automatically sent to these five numbers.

“In this way, not only police, but the user’s relatives and friends too will be able to come to her rescue,” the officer said.
Police said the proposal was ready and has received the green signal from MHA.

But the ministry is yet to sanction a fund for the application. Police expect to get a full clearance early next year.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has sought Rs 103 crore from the Centre’s ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ to install CCTV cameras on its fleet.

A senior government official said the DTC, which is facing  financial problems, has sought the additional funds from the Centre to install CCTV cameras on its buses. The department has sent a proposal seeking allocation of funds to the Union transport minister, the official said.

Story continues below this ad

The corporation had recently installed CCTV cameras on 200 buses, as part of a pilot project to enhance security.