Hats, wigs off to Delhi Police!
Abhishek Pandey
Delhi police came forward as a role model in the country when moral policing is thriving in the country ahead of Valentine-day. Delhi police commissioner, YS Dadwal announced that he would not tolerate the “moral policing” by self-claimed moral brigade or by their own cops. Mr. Dadwal said, ‘‘we are here to help women, not harass them. We have better things to do than go around and act as the moral police’’ According to a report published in TOI, Delhi police would deploy cops in plain clothes in and around malls, public places, and in restaurants to avoid Mangalore-like incidents. He added that those incidents would not be tolerated in Delhi and any one found guilty would be prosecuted against stringent acts. He also promised stern action against officers who booked a married couple for kissing near the Dwarka Metro station. In the same case, Delhi high court put a stay on criminal proceedings against the couple, yesterday by saying how “expression of love by a young married couple’’ could attract obscenity charges.
This step from the Delhi police commissioner should be welcomed in the time when we are hearing the bad news from all parts of the country, whether it is Srinagar or Mangalore. A report published in Indian Express reports that some extremists pasted posters on the road side walls and on the lamp-posts in Srinagar that strolling with the opposite sex is haraam and if any one found guilty that person would be handed over to the police or the head of the person would be shaved and then he/she would be handed over to his/her parents. In a recent fatwa issue by Mangalore-goons, they asked young women to avoid wearing “noodle-strap” and “tight jeans” otherwise action would be taken against them. These so called ‘custodians’ of culture are behaving in a manner as if they are the final authority to decide our dress code, our daily activities and our social behaviour. Police forces must learn a lesson from the Delhi police’s initiative and should protect the rights of the individuals by booking the culprits for their anti-social actions against women.
Delhi police is pioneer in this. Delhi police has different cells for protecting the rights of the different vulnerable groups like children, women, senior citizens, anti-threat by recovery agents cell, anti-corruption, vigilant cell and other different cells for different purposes. It has some special cell for women like anti-obscenity cell which is helpful to those women who are suffering from the blank calls or obscene SMSs or MMSs. Police must ensure the security of the women and other individuals by their continuous vigilance during V-day, friendship day and other days when they (goons) challenge our system and for that matter, our constitution. In this global village, we can not think of following the hard line and being intolerant about others culture. Even the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi said, “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.” This is the message which should reach to the extremists or “moral brigade”.
