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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, SEPT 19: Even as Delhi police embarked on an exercise to “gender sensitise” its personnel, its 1,300 hundred strong women staffers said charity should begin at home, pointing out that the police themselves needed to avoid discriminating against them.
About 22 personnel, both men and women of inspector and sub-inspector ranks, attended the five-day `training of trainers’ programme organised by Police Training College along with city-based Gender Training Institute to sensitise personnel with a view to curb increasing gender specific violence in the Capital. Women personnel, including middle-level officers in the force, said police should first clean up its own Augean stables. Women officials, they said, were given soft postings like Crime against Women (CAW) cell, Provision and Lines, Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office or clerical jobs in police stations. However, senior officers deny the allegations saying women are given preferential treatment vis-a-vis their male counterparts.
“Weare given the same training but why is it that we are not assigned field duties. Is this being gender sensitive?,” asked an ACP pointing out that of the 62 women inspectors, only two were appointed as station house officers .Of the total five ACPS in the force, two are with the CAW cell, two with Provision and Lines and one awaiting posting after training.
Besides, there are 1,016 constables, 353 head constables and 157 sub-inspectors. A woman inspector, said women were discriminated against: “I used to personally carry out raids at illicit liquor vends and made substantial seizures, but instead of appreciating my work, I was shunted out,” she said.
Jt Commissioner (Southern range) A Kanth said performance was the sole criterion for field duties. Sharma said police was examining cases of all personnel who have not got a field posting so far and would do the needful after the elections.
