NCP Delegation Meets DGP, Demands Security at Women’s Hostels Following Student’s Murder and Rape in Mumbai
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) asked on Thursday that female police officers visit women’s hostels throughout all of Maharashtra on a regular basis to make sure that security measures are in place there.
A day after the rape and death of an 18-year-old girl in a Mumbai hostel came to light, an NCP delegation handed Director General of Police (DGP) Rajnish Seth a note outlining concerns about women’s protection.
The girl was allegedly raped and strangled to death in her room on the fourth floor of the hostel in South Mumbai by a laundry guy who doubled as a security guard. Later, the guard was killed when he ran into a local train.
Mahesh Tapase, a spokesman for the NCP, said after the document was submitted that if such a horrible crime could be perpetrated in a metropolis like Mumbai, what the situation may be like for women’s protection in rural Maharashtra is inconceivable.
He said that female police officers were required to often visit public, semi-public, and private women’s hostels to assess security measures and acquire “confidential” data on the male staff members working there as well as “road Romeos” in the neighborhood.
The guard, who was from Uttar Pradesh, used to harass the girl, according to the victim’s father and one of her friends, who reported it to the police. According to a representative on Wednesday, the girl’s father has also accused the dormitory management of failing to take appropriate action.
Tapase emphasized that comprehensive data on the staff members “who belong to other states” must be gathered and that both the male residents of the hostel and the male workers there should get regular security-related counseling.
Similar to that, he added, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s Shakti Act should be put into effect and its contents made known to all interested parties.
The Shakti Act, which provides provisions for harsh punishments including the death penalty, life in prison, and high fines in addition to expedited trials, attempts to stop terrible crimes against women and children in Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar, the leader of the opposition and a member of the NCP, visited the Marine Drive police station where the complaint was lodged on Wednesday and consoled the girl’s family.
