Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission is at loggerheads with the Kanpur Police over the latter warning a commission member to “stay within limits” after she “inspected” a police station.
On Wednesday, the letter from Kanpur’s Additional Commissioner Vinod K. Singh to commission member Anita Gupta questioned her authority to inspect the Barra police station. Gupta had visited the station on Saturday.
Gupta, Singh wrote, did not have the power to conduct such inspections, adding that these visits “create unnecessary disruption” for the police. He also asked her to work “within the jurisdiction” of her role.
But one line in the letter, telling her to “stay within limits”, has sparked strong criticism from several quarters.
The commission’s chief, Babita Chauhan, told ThePrint, “What happened was shocking for us as well. Anita did not cross any limits, nor did she ask anything inappropriate. It is the duty of women’s commission members to check women’s help desks in police stations. Why shouldn’t they ask questions to police officials? They are equally responsible for ensuring proper functioning. We will take up this issue with the top authorities.”
She added that many commission members have visited local police stations in the past as well and asked questions in cases related to women.
“The language used in the letter was inappropriate. It is not just disrespectful to me, but also to the government. After all, we are nominated by the government itself,” said Anita Gupta, adding that she had not gone for an inspection but to gather information on a case.
Asked about additional commissioner Singh’s letter, Kanpur Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal acknowledged in a statement that it “did not reflect the expected decorum”, adding he had been informed about it only recently.
Lal said he had instructed all officers to ensure that official communications are written in polite, professional and appropriate language. “We have also decided to seek an explanation for why this letter was not brought to my notice earlier.”
ThePrint reached Additional Commissioner Vinod K. Singh through calls. This report will be updated if a response is received.
19-member commission formed last year
The Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission is a 19-member body headed by Babita Chauhan, who earlier served as the vice president of the BJP’s UP Mahila Morcha.
The commission has two vice-chairpersons—Aparna Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s daughter-in-law, who joined the BJP before the 2022 elections, and Charu Chaudhary from Gorakhpur, who has long been associated with the BJP.
Anita Gupta has been associated with the BJP in the Kanpur region for over a decade. Another member, Priyanka Maurya, joined the BJP after quitting the Congress in 2022. She was earlier the face of the Congress’s ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ campaign booklet.
Manisha Ahlawat, who contested the 2022 elections on a Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) ticket, is also part of the panel.
The commission made headlines last year, soon after its formation, when it issued guidelines that sparked controversy—including suggestions to bar male tailors from taking women’s measurements and to prevent men from training women in gyms or yoga classes—as part of a nine-point proposal on women’s safety. Later, it later called the guidelines a suggestive measure.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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