Eve-teasing victims can now make anonymous complaints

KANPUR: In a unique initiative, district authorities have decided to place complaint boxes outside some girls' colleges and markets where victims of eve-teasing or harassment can put in their grievances anonymously.


These boxes will be opened only in the presence of the magistrate and police officials and the identity of the victim will not be disclosed to anyone, Additional District Magistrate (City) Avinash Singh told PTI.

Investigations would be launched against the perpetrators of the crime, he said.

"To protect the women from eve-teasing the administration is taking several measures. At present, the condition is such that women do not come to register their complaints of eve-teasing due to societal pressure and fear of being infamous," he said.

"Among these, even those women were present who have been a victim of domestic violence and could not register their complaints due to fear of in-laws," he said.

"Besides five women's colleges, some prominent markets, Neveen market and multiplex malls will have these complaint boxes. If complaints are found in these boxes and this initiative turns out to be successful, the boxes will be installed in other parts of the city as well," he said.

"These complaint boxes will not be opened by an ordinary police official but a magistrate level official. A complaint register will be maintained in which the name of the complainant will not be written but the offender's name will be written," he said.

"Hoardings are put in major parts of the city in which telephone numbers of women police stations, police control room and women power line are written. If a woman is in trouble, she can call on these numbers for help and her identity will be kept secret," he said.

The places where hoardings will be put include, Bada Chauraha, Mall Road, Parade Chauraha, Green Park Chauraha and Arya Nagar Chauraha. Besides this, all women colleges and bus stops in front of them and tempo stands will have police patrolling.