New Delhi: Lauding the strides made by women in India’s police forces, former Union Home Secretary GK Pillai said that the country had come a long way since Kiran Bedi became the first woman to join the Indian Police Service.
He recalled that when Bedi was inducted, senior government officials tried to persuade her to switch to another service—even the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS). But Bedi was adamant, Pillai recalled, and stuck to her guns.
“I want only IPS. I don’t want to be given any favours. What the male officers will do, I will too. The entire physical, all the tests, I will do the same,” Pillai recalled Bedi saying. “They said there are no toilets in the police academy, no separate rooms specifically for women. But that is something for the government to sort out. I don’t need any favours.”
Although the situation is vastly different today, Pillai highlighted that this has been a long journey, and it is still not complete.
Pillai was speaking at the one-day seminar on “Presence of Women Workforce in Police Organisations at Subordinate Ranks in India”, organised by the Indian Police Foundation (IPF) at the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi, Tuesday.
Women’s presence in India’s police forces has been low since the beginning of the republic, and even today, it stands at a measly 11 to 13 per cent, according to various estimates. As things stand, the Union Home Ministry’s stipulated goal of women making up 33 per cent of the police workforce remains a long way away.
The issue is multifaceted. Unfavourable working conditions, long work hours, and a lack of access to basic facilities such as toilets, coupled with societal attitudes and prejudices, have made it a challenge that successive governments have struggled to address, with progress remaining slow. IPF and like-minded think tanks working at the forefront of police reforms in the country recognise the enormity of the challenge and the urgent need to remedy the situation.
Basis of policing
IIC’s seminar hall was bursting at the seams with an audience that was a mix of former police chiefs, retired bureaucrats, civil society members and thought leaders, along with scores of serving women officers of the Delhi Police, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Border Security Force (BSF), and other Central Police Organisations (CPO). The crowd began to swell right in the morning itself, despite the event’s early 10 AM start.
Apart from Pillai, the first session was addressed by a panel that included former Director General of Home Guards, Delhi, Nuzhat Hassan, and former DGP and founder of Prayas, Amod Kanth.
After a crisp welcome address by DC Jain IPS (retd), Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the IPF, and opening remarks by SP Singh, another former IPS officer and Treasurer of the IPF, the session began with Hassan’s honest take on the topic at hand.
Just because women can perform certain tasks efficiently does not mean they are incapable of others. It is high time their position is viewed with an objective lens. Only then can their potential be fully harnessed, the former officer noted, adding that training and sensitisation go a long way in making policing a level playing field for personnel of both genders.
“I don’t believe in compartmentalisation. I have never believed in it based on gender. It should be more based on the kind of work, the output and the qualities if we have to succeed,” she said.
Kanth illustrated his point on women officers in the Juvenile Justice System of the country through carefully gathered data and a reading of the complex laws in a manner that the audience could comprehend. He lauded the Bharosa initiative of the Union Home Ministry, which “becomes the focal point of all activities relating to children” in the police stations where its desks are functional. Bharosa desks are supposed to be helmed by women officers.
“Starting from the time when we started Prayas in 1988 to now, there’s a sea of change. You are no longer part of community policing. You are no more part of peripheral policing. You are the mainstream police,” Kanth said.
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‘Our heroes need to be seen as heroes’
After a lunch break, the gathering assembled once again for a session addressed by the Secretary, National Commission for Women, Sudeep Jain and author, speaker and founder of “Women of the Elements”, Rashmi Anand.
Jain mulled on the idea of starting a campaign “Women Protect”, which turns the tables on the idea that women need protection to be protectors themselves.
“As a result, I am sure we can attract more and more women into the police, and have better policing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anand’s address left the hall teary-eyed and inspired in equal measure.
She spoke about her own ordeal as a woman who suffered domestic abuse, and how even when there was nobody else to turn to, the Delhi police remained steadfast in their support, and continue to be her pillar of strength.
Describing the men and women in khaki as “true heroes”, Anand stressed the need to tell their stories to the public much more effectively to bring about a positive change in public opinion and attract the best of young minds to join the police.
“Our heroes need to be treated and be seen as heroes,” she said.
The true highlight of the event, though, was the generous time allocated to interaction with the audience. The women officers, though somewhat hesitant to open up at first, were at their most honest, candid and refreshing best by the end of the evening.
An officer of the CISF acknowledged the role of “supportive seniors” and how that goes a long way in helping female officers in a challenging work environment.
Deepa Verma, Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory, Delhi, recalled “the backing of the department” that she received early in her career, alongside her family’s support.
ACP Renu Lata from the Delhi Police recalled how, early in her career, women officers were not seen as suitable for investigative or enforcement roles, a situation that has slowly changed. A BSF officer stressed the need for “society’s mindset to be addressed first” as it often bred notions such as “females coming into the police at the expense of males.”
Several officers also highlighted the challenges a high-stress job such as policing poses to their personal lives, with sacrifices aplenty on both sides – by their loved ones and by the personnel themselves.
Akshat Mohan is a TPSJ alum interning with ThePrint.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)