It is said that there is a woman behind every successful man. But how many of us do really believe this. The number is not countless. If the entire male population believes this then we do not have to witness ongoing gender bias in the society. Although we are passing through 21st century, our mindset has hardly changed about the women. Still most of us pretend as progressive one but in real term put various norms and restrictions for the female members in the family. The gender bias is deep rooted and this is actually the cause behind the crime against women. Compared to national average, the scenario is better in West Bengal and Kolkata as well.
Attempts have been made by the centre as well as state governments to stop violence against women through enactment of law, setting up Women Commission but real change is yet to come. Women Police Stations have also been set up for attending their complaints with more attention and delivering justice to the victims in more effective manner.
Kolkata Police as the oldest Commissionerate has set up one women police station in each division of its jurisdictional area. In the rst phase Watgunge, Tollygunge, Patuli and Amherst Street Women Police Stations were set up on 27 July, 2016. Four other women police stations- Taltala, Behala, Karaya and Ultadanga were set up within the next six months. All the women police stations were inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Women Police Stations function in co-ordination of the general police stations. These police stations are also in the campus of respective general police stations. The women police stations record complaints of aggrieved women and investigate cases relating to crimes against women and children. As these women police stations are open 24X7X365 women can seek assistance from the lady police personnel from any point of time. Besides, registering various cases of crime against women, these police stations also counsel in complaints to defend family ties. The list of crimes against women is too long. Dowry death, criminal abatement, cruelty: physical and mental torture under section 498A, Eve teasing, outrage modesty of a woman, physically assault, insult humiliation, manhandling, using lthy language are some examples. Women police stations also register and investigate cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for delivering justice to victim children.
Women are not hesitant to lodge a complaint now against the accused because they feel comfortable to share their pain and agony with the lady police personnel, as Ratna Chakraborty, the Ofcer in Charge of Amherst Street Women Police Station observed. According to her “We do not ignore any complaint even when somebody complains that her husband does not shoulder nancial and other responsibilities due to his other involvement or addiction. We give patient hearing to both parties and counsel them for leading peaceful and happy married life. Our counseling works magically. Actually we try to understand the root of the problem and react accordingly.” Amherst Street Women Police Station covers eight police station areas in North Division. Sub Inspector Chameli Mukherjee while sharing her experience cited a case how children are abused by the known one. A 7 years old girl was sexually abused by a 50 years old man who was other tenant in the same house. The statement of the minor girl was recorded under Section 164 IPC and the case under Section 8 of POCSO Act and 354 IPC was registered with this police station. The accused had been remanded in jail custody. She said, ‘House wives are not always tortured at their in laws house. They do also torture their husbands and age-old father and mother in laws. A house wife of a well off family uses to complain against her elderly widow mother in-law under various pretexts. She insisted her mother in-law to transfer entire property in her name although; the mother in- law feeds every members of the family from her pension.’
The jurisdiction of Watgunge Women Police Station is entire nine police station areas of Port Division. Suchismita Misra, the Ofcer in-Charge of Watgunge Women Police Station informed that last year they registered 18 cases of which seven cases were referred from other general police stations. She also emphasized on counseling particularly matrimonial and family matters. According to her, once case is registered and chargesheeted, then scope of adjustment is over. Major portion of the jurisdiction predominantly belong to minority population. Illiteracy and unemployment lead to major social problems in the area which in some cases crop up as crimes against women. Women have also typical mindset because of their dependence on the male members. So in such a helpless situation, crimes against women can only be minimized if victims are nancially rehabilitated or else they face serious crisis. We try to reconcile and prevent break up in the family ties.
Personnel of Taltala Women Police Station however feel that the existence of separate women police station should be well publicised so that complainants of all ten general police stations areas in Central Division can contact them. Ofcer in Charge Tapasi Purakayastha informed that a group of students from Taltala Grirls High School recently visited this police station, who had been educated about functioning of police station, lodging a FIR or General Diary etc. They had also been cautioned for accepting unsolicited friend request through Facebook, Whats app as teenage girls too were targets of the cyber criminals.
Tollygunge Women Police Station covers the jurisdiction of South Division where there are 11 general police stations. Priya Das, Ofcer-in Charge informed that the crimes against women are not always committed by men. Fight among women and outraging modesty of a woman by another woman is evident in slum areas. Bigamy is another menace both in rich and poor 
people in these areas, she added. Annapurna Das Sarkar, Ofcer in-Charge Patuli Women Police Station said, ‘We receive complaints or cases directly and referred by ten other general police stations under South Suburban Division which we immediately report to Deputy Commissioner of Police of the division and proceed accordingly. Besides, cases under various sections of IPC and CrPC relating to crime against women, complaints of child abuse are registered under POCSO Act. At present custody trial is going on in one such case.’ Last year this Police Station recorded 15 cases while this year the number is ten so far.
There are three other Women Police Stations- Ultadanga, Karaya and Behara are meant for registering, investigating and other policing job in Eastern Suburban Division, South East Division and South West Division respectively.
By Our Special Correspondent
