400 CCTVs to keep eye on eve-teasers

Patna: Continuing its crackdown on eve teasers in the city, police have detained 252 persons in the last 23 days and also fined 152 auto-rickshaws for playing vulgar songs. Central range DIG Shalin said 400 new CCTVs would be installed at sensitive locations in the city to prevent such incidents.

The Patna Police had launched a drive against eve-teasing on August 8 in the wake of caste conflict at Bakhtiyarpur on the outskirts of the city where a schoolgirl was allegedly molested by a man from another caste.

Shalin, who took the initiative to sensitize young girls and policemen to take action against eve-teasers, said, “The drive is aimed at preventing eve-teasing. We are encouraging girls to come forward to lodge complaint against the wrongdoers. If the police personnel do not cooperate with them, the aggrieved girls can WhatsApp their complaints either to me or the SSP.”

Shalin did not agree with the recently released National Crime Records Bureau data according to which only two incidents of eve-teasing were recorded in Bihar in 2015. “Many cases go unreported as the girls and their family members do not approach police out of fear,” Shalin said. He added that in the last 23 days alone, eight eve-teasing complaints were lodged with Dhanarua and Bihta police stations.

Meanwhile, police have also intensified drive against public vehicles, such as auto-rickshaws and buses, playing vulgar songs. Often, auto-rickshaw and bus drivers switch on music players and start playing vulgar songs, much to the chagrin of women commuters. “The harried women commuters stay away from lodging complaint with the police. Under the circumstances, we have asked the police personnel to identify such erring auto-rickshaw and bus drivers and take action against them,” the DIG said. He added that several auto-rickshaws were fined in Khajekalan, S K Puri, Patliputra and Gardanibagh police station areas in the last 23 days for playing vulgar songs.

Shalin said playing music while driving a commercial vehicle is banned under Section 102/177 of Motor Vehicles Act.