Former senior police officers advise women to alert parents and relatives if they feel they are being stalked and report the matter to the police immediately. Former Director General of Police Letika Saran said, “If any woman or girl feels that she is being stalked, she should go and complain at the police station. Tell somebody in the family that this is happening to you. In most cases of stalking, the girls would have told their family and the family members would warn the boy. But things should not stop with that. The parents or the affected girl should come forward to lodge a complaint with the police.”
“Stalking is a crime now. Earlier stalking was not a crime but now there is a specific provision in IPC. Obviously, the boy needs counselling,” she says. “There is police patrolling everywhere which acts as a deterrent to any general crime but the police will not able to prevent every crime that happens,” she points out.
Suggestion boxes in schools and colleges should be activated, she said. Earlier, the City Police received messages from suggestion boxes and would send women police personnel in plainclothes to see that there was no eve-teasing near educational institutions.
Timely complaint
Former Director General of Police R. Natraj said that police should instil fear through sincere and effective enforcement of laws relating to women. In cases of stalking, timely complaints to the police was very much essential. The woman or the girl should tell family members if they are stalked and report to the police immediately. “Sometimes, by our inaction to the complaint, we end up encouraging such stalking,” he said. Appointment of regular counsellors in educational institutions and regular grievance meetings with police personnel could help curb such crimes in future, he added.
