Delhi to Get Dedicated 'Pink Force' of Women Officers After String of Assaults

Delhi Police has been directed to create a dedicated "Pink Force" of trained women personnel to patrol schools, colleges, metro stations and other vulnerable locations across the capital.

Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu issued the direction on Tuesday, asking the force to be modelled on the lines of the Pink Force of Goa Police. Women personnel are to be deployed at identified hotspots, particularly during hours considered sensitive.

The decision follows four separate cases of alleged rape or sexual assault involving minors reported across Delhi in roughly 10 days.

The most recent was reported on Monday, when a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir. Police said the men allegedly posed as policemen before separating the girl from her male friend. One of the accused was later caught after an exchange of fire with police, in which he suffered a bullet injury to his leg.

On September 16, a minor girl was allegedly sexually assaulted inside a shop in Sadar Bazar after she stepped out of her home to buy stationery. The accused was arrested and sent to judicial custody. On Monday, a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in central Delhi's Kishanganj, where residents caught the accused and handed him over. Earlier this month, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in Swaroop Nagar; a 19-year-old was arrested and three minors were detained.

What the Pink Force will do

The proposed unit will have trained women personnel patrolling areas around schools, colleges and metro stations, besides other locations identified as vulnerable. The emphasis will be on a visible police presence and quick response, especially during sensitive hours.

Women-only patrolling is not new to Delhi. The city police has previously deployed women officers on scooters and beat patrols around schools, colleges, markets, metro stations and other public spaces. The new proposal is to bring such patrolling under a dedicated Pink Force structure.

Police have also been asked to continue action against harassment of women in public spaces under 'Operation Shishtachar', with patrols deployed around educational institutions, markets and transport hubs. The Pink Force would operate alongside these existing measures.

Complaints to be digitally tracked

The Pink Force was among several directions issued during Sandhu's second visit to Delhi Police Headquarters since June 24. Complaints made during the department's Jan Sunwai programme will also be digitally tracked, with every grievance to be acknowledged and acted upon within a defined timeline. Complaints relating to other government departments will be forwarded to the agency concerned.

The Jan Sunwai programme has been running at police stations since June. Police said this month that more than 1,300 sessions had been held and around 10,000 complaints resolved. The timeline for acting on complaints under the proposed digital system has not yet been specified.

Police stations and beat officers have also been asked to increase foot and motorcycle patrols in crime-prone and high-footfall areas, particularly around schools, colleges, markets and transport hubs. Each police district will nominate a nodal officer and prepare a quarterly calendar for sessions in schools on the POCSO Act and child safety, cybercrime, substance abuse and road safety.

Other directions covered drug trafficking, cybercrime and traffic management. Police stations have been asked to improve the handling of cybercrime complaints and the preservation of digital evidence, while major congestion points are to see increased police presence and CCTV monitoring during peak hours.

For police personnel, the Lieutenant Governor sought timely promotions, particularly in the lower ranks and among women personnel, and fixed-hour grievance hearings at police headquarters. Police residential colonies have also been asked to move towards a zero-waste model.

The Pink Force itself remains at the planning stage. Its strength, launch date, district-wise deployment and patrol timings are yet to be announced.