In a new initiative started on Wednesday, policewomen will patrol areas such as Koramangala, HSR Layout, Mico Layout and Electronic City in Bengaluru. The initiative 'Shaurya Vahini' was flagged off at the BBMP ground in Koramangala by Kannada actors Prema and Ragini Dwivedi in the presence of Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao.
15 women constables will patrol areas in southeast Bengaluru under the initiative. In addition, 10 policewomen will patrol in pink Hoysala patrol cars. The initiative aims to break stereotypes by including women in a job typically allotted to men within the police force.
"Inaugurated “Shaurya Vahini,“ Women Motorcycle Patrolling Team and as an experiment for the first time 10 women drivers of Police Patrol cars. Credits to my DCP Isha Pant and her Team for the Initiative," Bengaluru commissioner Bhaskar Rao said in a social media post.
Inaugurated “Shaurya Vahini,“ Women Motorcycle Patrolling Team and as an experiment for the first time 10 women drivers of Police Patrol cars. Credits to my DCP Isha Pant and her Team for the Initiative.
— Bhaskar Rao IPS (@deepolice12) February 26, 2020
A FIRST TIME STEP pic.twitter.com/BDcLy0KPsF
Outgoing Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bengaluru (Southeast) Isha Pant stated that usually policemen patrol the streets on motorbikes and women do not think they can perform certain tasks in the police force. The initiative was taken up to instill confidence in policewomen, she said, as per Deccan Herald.
It will be one of the last acts by Isha Pant as Bengaluru (Southeast) DCP after she was transferred as Superintendent of Police, CID, Bengaluru. Earlier this week, Isha Pant was praised for launching a campaign encouraging women to spend time in public spaces after dark. The campaign was launched to reclaim public spaces which are deemed unsafe due to "anti-social” elements and poor lighting. Under the initiative, celebrities were roped in to urge women to use public spaces which are otherwise rendered unsafe.