1st Training Held for Shishtachar Squads

Officers part of Delhi Police's newly constituted Shishtachar, or anti-sexual harassment, squads were directed to conduct "random checks" in buses to check on women, visit markets, bus stops and educational institutions in plainclothes and ask women if someone was troubling them.

- Hemani Bhandari

NEW DELHI:

Officers being deployed on the ground as part of these Shishtachar squads were directed not to lecture women on their attire or the way they conduct themselves, and also not to target couples sitting in public spaces, such as parks. However, they were asked to initiate suo motu action in harassment cases. Shishtachar is the Hindi word for "etiquette".

"To make this initiative a success, members of the squad should identify the opening and closing time of schools and colleges, visit them in plainclothes and ask girls if anyone is troubling them. Go to crowded markets and bus stops... This exercise will not be fruitful if you just make rounds and come back. You must voluntarily approach women and speak to them," assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Yogesh Malhotra said at the training session.