Women helpline, police station of little help

PATNA: The new Patna SSP, Jitender Rana, might be claiming to focus on cases of crime against women but city girls have little faith in the existing women helpline and women police station because the complainants hardly get any relief. But talk to the officials of these facilities and they blame it on lack of staff and infrastructure to deal with the increasing number of complaints.
Riya (name changed), a student of a reputed city college, said, “There is a middle-aged man in Nageshwar Colony who stalks young girls of the area. When I lodged a complaint with the Patna women helpline, the officials directed the police station concerned to lodge an FIR. I could go to the police station on my own for that because I did not need the helpline’s help just to lodge a simple FIR.”
Saloni (name changed), who works with a private firm, said, “I am being harassed by an unknown caller for the last three months. I already lodged an FIR with the Shastrinagar police station a month back but nothing has been done so far. Where should we seek their help?”
Nisha Kumari, a housewife, alleged, “I visited the Patna women police station several times with my marital dispute. But, without listening to me properly, they made my case false and I am in deep mental trouble.”
The two-room office of the Patna women helpline lacks a proper counselling space. “Counselling is the lifeline of any helpline. We have to counsel the victim, their relatives along with others associated with the case. It includes psychological and legal aspects and sometimes we need privacy during the counselling,” said the protection officer, Patna women helpline, Pramila Kumari.
In a letter to Patna DM last year, the Patna women helpline had requested him to depute two men and three women counsellors to the helpline, but the matter is still pending. The district women helpline started functioning from 1999 when they used to deal with ten to 11 cases on monthly basis. But, now, they lodge 60 to 70 cases every month with the help of only two counsellors.
At the Patna women police station, there are four sub-inspectors, six ASIs and 27 constables to deal with the women-related issues of Patna district. Mridula Kumari, SHO, Patna women police station, said, “Among the 27 constables, 21 are deployed at colleges and different offices. Only six are available with the police station.”
Sources said the police station has only two vehicles to move in the district which is often insufficient. More than staff crunch, sufficient number of vehicles and drivers are needed to conduct raids as many investigations remain pending for want of vehicles and drivers.