Uttar Pradesh elections: BJP has big plans for women. Period. And the plan in Uttar Pradesh is centred around the so-called ‘Anti-Romeo Squad’. Amit Shah had first announced plans for such a squad while announcing BJP’s manifesto for the upcoming elections along with several other promises to lure the youth. Today, he used it again in a speech during campaigning. Looks like the BJP may well execute a plan to rid the country of crimes against women, or at least ensure they plunge in number – that is if they come to power. Women’s safety has become one of the major planks on which political parties have fought elections since last two election seasons. We can credit PM Narendra Modi for bringing the issue to the front and centre of national consciousness when he picked up on it during the general elections 2014. In fact, it was one of the issues which led Modi to his chair. And as PM he has underlined the issue time and again through his over 2-year rule. Now, with Amit Shah’s speech at Pikhuwa rally today, it’s clear that Modi govt wants to change the ground reality .
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The so-called ‘eve teasing’ cases have long been making news in the country, one of the most recent examples of which is the Bangalore mass molestation case. Although women across the country, over the years had learnt to deal with the eve teasing issues but it was the horrendous Nirbhaya Rape case which made the city’s ‘second sex’ realise that they needed to speak up. Crowds in huge numbers had emerged outside Rashtrapati Bhawan and the protest demanding fast trial of the accused in the case. With such a situation prevalent in most parts of the country, no matter how funny it may sound, ‘Anti-Romeo Squad’ does seem like a necessity and here are daily reasons why it must be implemented:
1) Figures talk: According to the stats, a minimum of 6 rapes and 15 molestations are reported, each day.
2) Mental Trauma:Although there are laws for women to punish the men who are involved in such incidents but it’s the mental trauma and paranoia which goes completely unaccounted for – each and every day.
3) Unsafe travel: Libraries don’t close after sunset neither do college festivals, nor do offices but the deadline for most women even today tallies with the sunset timings, thanks to the inconvenient and unsafe modes of travel.
4) Background: Eve teasing cases across the city have proved education, locality or family background do not have much of a role to play in shaping one’s mindset. A change in mind-set is important across the spectrum to sensitise men.
On the other hand, what can ruin the entire proposal is if this Anti Romeo Squad turns into a ‘couple-policing’ squad. In that case, from colleges to streets to parks may well become stages for ptotests. There is a fine line that should not be transgressed, as far as youths are concerned, and whether that will happen is still in the realm of conjecture.