Kolkata: Kolkata Police has set up a new all-woman team, called ‘Durga Shakti Vahini’, to protect women and children on roads and make them feel safer, and to respond quickly to trouble during festivals, processions and public events.This special force is an expanded version of the older ‘Winners’ squad, the woman police team who patrols roads on two-wheelers to save women from harassers.Announcing the launch of the unit on Thursday, police commissioner Ajoy Nand said the dedicated wing would focus entirely on stopping crimes against women and children. He added the unit would ensure a fast and effective response whenever women faced trouble on roads and at crowded public events and festivals. At the helm of the Durga Shakti Vahini are two senior officers—Shailaja Das, DCP for the detective department (special), who will head the operations, and Madhuri Sarkar, DCP for women police headquarters force, who will assist her.Before the launch, the personnel attended an intensive training workshop, where they learnt legal rules, communication skills and how to handle sensitive situations. During this training, seniors instructed the squad to attend to distress calls immediately instead of passing it over. If a victim asks for help, the officers have to note down the complaint right away, and cannot refuse help just because the crime may happen outside their police area.Senior officers said their aim was to rid fear or doubt among women, who seemed to lack the faith and confidence in approaching cops on road. “We want every woman to feel safe and comfortable so that she can report a crime without any hesitation,” said an officer.
