Anti-Romeo teams in UP nab 1,000 in two days

LUCKNOW: As the anti-Romeo squads' crackdown on hooligans continued across the state for the second consecutive day on Wednesday , the state government clarified that the move was aimed to prevent eve-teasing and harassment of women.

Senior minister in Adityanath cabinet Sidharth Nath Singh said the idea being anti-Romeo squads was to ensure that the women feel safe in public places. "Adesh diye gaye hain ki kisi masoom ya koi apne friends ke saath baitha ho, use tang nahi kiya jaye," (Order have been issued not to harass innocents or those sitting with their friends) he said.

Soon after, the DGP Javeed Ahmed said strict instructions have been issued to ensure that youngsters are not harassed. "Senior officers have been directed to ensure that these squads don't indulge in moral policing," the DGP told TOI.


More than a 1,000 men, mostly youngsters were detained by the police across the state in anti-Romeo operations as per police sources.While the youngsters were handed over to their family members, some were fined and released with a warning. "In cases where the police had established that an accused was indulging in eve-teasing or molestations then they were booked and arrested," said IG, Lucknow Zone, A Satish Ganesh.

Apart from some stray reports of police high-handedness, the concept of anti-Romeo squad was hailed by girls and school and college administrations across the state. In CM Aditya Nath Yogi's hometown of Gorakhpur, school authorities were all praises for the initiative.