Romeos at bay, more lady cops at garbas

AHMEDABAD/SURAT/VADODARA: With women comprising a good number at garba grounds, organisers are realising the need to keep the security net as tight as ever by hiring more and more female cops and women security personnel. So, apart from keeping the Romeos at bay, the Juliets too will be under the scanner of the law-keepers this Navratri. While the police have planned women cops in plainclothes inside the venues, private security agencies too have increased the deployment of female guards.
"At each garba venue in Ahmedabad, there will be a specific number of women police officers, some in uniform and others in plain clothes.Keeping a watch on the proceedings, they are to ensure that there are no law and order problems. The officers have been directed to intervene only when necessary," said KR Kaushik, commissioner of Ahmedabad city police.
In fact, over the years, the number of female guards has gone up tremendously. According to Sheriyar Doctor,who runs Docsuns Security Agency, women guards constitute over 10% of the total private security force. "The concept of having female guards has picked up recently," Doctor says.
Not only are these women guards trained to frisk women at the entry points and scan them at the metal detector gates, but they can also handle any undesirable situations at the venue.
In the Diamond City too, the demand for female guards has shot up. Till now, security agencies here employed only male staff. But says Manish Makhija of Surat-based One Eye Detective Agency, "Garba organisers are demanding more women staff at the venues. Hired well before Navaratri, these women are given a training as guarding garba venues require different sort of management."
"We normally have six to seven women guards in our agency, but as Navaratri approaches their strength is increased anywhere around 20 to 25," adds Makhija. So Navratri is a bonanza time for woman guards. Says a woman guard with One Eye Detective Agency, who does not wish to be named, that they are paid anywhere around Rs 150-200 per day, which is much better than at normal times. And the rates are almost similar everywhere in the state.
Says Dr Jayant Patel of Ahmedabad-based Rajpath Club Ltd., that he insists that female guards are deputed on the entrance. "It''s a recent phenomenon. Especially, with the threat perception increasing in the past couple of years, more guards from the fairer sex are needed," he says.
Yogendra Gangwal, an organising member of the United Way of Baroda (UWB) garba in Vadodara, says, "We have increased the number of security personnel from 400 to 425, which includes 25 trained female guards." Says Rajesh Parikh, organiser of Maa Shakti Aarkee says, "We understand the possibility of certain elements to foment trouble.
To curb such instances, we have increased the number of women security guards from 20 to 25 this year. Apart from taking care of women-related security issues, they will be responsible for checking the female participants at the venues. They will keep a constant vigil on the inner circle of the ground, where female participants normally dance."