By Probir Pramanik, IANS
Mumbai : Unarmed combat and handling AK-47 assault rifles too, striking out against Romeos and also ready to handle any emergencies that might arise in a buzzing megalopolis. A crack unit of Mumbai’s policewomen is being trained to secure the suburban railway network – the lifeline of India’s financial and entertainment capital – particularly for its many women commuters.
You could call them real life Charlie’s Angels, after the famous reel trio that launched a blitzkrieg against crime. The women commando force, drawn from the Mumbai Police, being set up by the Government Railway Police (GRP), is aimed at stemming the marked rise in crimes against women at railway stations and on suburban trains.
The women, who will be handling a series of weapons like carbines and AK-47s and also trained in unarmed combat and martial arts, will also be equipped with two-way walkie-talkies for more effectiveness. Besides, these handpicked constables from the GRP will be given refresher courses in law and trained in softer skills such as interacting with women commuters.
“This is the first time the Mumbai railway police are forming a dedicated team of woman commandos to tackle crimes committed against woman commuters on the suburban railway network of the metropolis,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vasant Koregaonkar.
“Crime in women’s compartments of local suburban trains is an issue of concern today. The GRP presently posts armed constables in the compartments between 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. but we have many times received complaints of male constables misbehaving with women commuters,” Koregaonkar told IANS.
He disclosed that 65 policewomen had been shortlisted in the first phase and would be trained at the police training centre at Ghatkopar in suburban Mumbai. They are likely to be deployed after a month of rigorous physical training.
“These shortlisted women constables would probably be the first RPF (railway protection force) policewomen to undergo commando training, including learning how to handle the AK-47 assault rifle, to tackle crime on local trains,” Koregaonkar said with a hint of pride.
All the women chosen for the job are aged 25-26. The idea is that they will not only tackle harassment against women but also prostitution at railway stations and women criminals who operate on the trains.
“After the July 11, 2006 terror attacks on the suburban trains, we have already raised a special commando force comprising more than 150 men who will be inducted into the force shortly,” the official said.
The GRP, which has 17 police stations, stretches across the western, central and harbour lines of the Western and Central Railways. After last year’s serial blasts, in which about 200 people were killed, the GRP has been working in tandem with the RPF to man the stations on all the three lines.