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Journalism of Courage
Kolkata Police have announced the launch of “pink booths”, staffed entirely by women police personnel, across the city to improve women’s safety, particularly at night. The move follows the recent incident in which a woman was allegedly molested by three people in a moving car in the city.
Twenty pink booths will be established across the city’s 10 police divisions, with two booths designated for each division at prime, carefully surveyed intersections. “Each booth will be led by a female officer-in-charge and supported by a team of three to five women personnel, operating throughout the night. If a woman feels threatened, she can immediately approach a pink booth for assistance, a safe space, and coordination with the concerned police station or control room for prompt action,” said an official.
In cases where a woman is unable to arrange safe transport home, the pink booth team will step in to arrange a vehicle to ensure she reaches her destination securely, the official added.
The police are also expanding a system to designate women police officers as nodal officers at every police station to handle cases related to crimes against women. This system is designed to encourage complainants, who may feel hesitant to share sensitive details with male officers, to speak freely and comfortably. These nodal officers will serve as a trusted point of contact, guiding the complainant sensitively through the legal process, even if they are not the investigating officer for the case.
While the latest National Crime Records Bureau data shows there has been a marginal drop in crimes against women in West Bengal, there have recently been incidents raising questions about women’s safety in the state.
On the night of November 28, a woman was waiting for a bus near Ambedkar Bridge on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Kolkata when a car stopped near her, and the occupants offered her a lift. They allegedly forced her to drink alcohol spiked with drugs. As she became intoxicated, she was molested and threatened. She was verbally and physically abused inside the moving car. Later, they dropped her off in the Maidan area and drove away. The woman was rescued by the police and taken to SSKM Hospital.
The police later arrested Altaf Alam, 24, a resident of the Garden Reach area, on charges of kidnapping and molesting the woman and are on the lookout for the other accused in the case.
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