City cop calls upon girls to take up martial arts

Ludhiana: Ludhiana police has taken an initiative to train women for free in self-defence from November onwards. Self-protection for girl students is talked about in the training sessions, besides highlighting the Shakti application. Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Deepak Pareek — who is also the nodal officer of Saanjh, plus a district community police officer — has trained more than 5,000 women in as many as 40 organisations, including schools, colleges, factories, and hospitals.
Besides this, more than 10,000 people have installed the Shakti application, which is an initiative for the safety and security of city women. The app allows women to send a distress call to the police control room and designate their relatives and friends directly in case of any emergency or trouble. Importantly, the location can also be traced, where police can reach the spot quickly and verify the fact. This application can help curb molestation and other sexual crimes.
Pareek said, “This initiative is the brainchild of the commissioner of police, and I am executing it with more than 100 employees from Saanjh Kendras. Self-defence is one of those skills we hope we never have to use, but girl students want to be prepared, just in case. An hour-long seminar on the importance of self-defence could potentially save a girl student’s life by motivating her to take up martial arts.”
Appealing to all women on International Women’s Day, Pareek said, “Women should come out against any sort of oppression, and raise their voices together. At the same time, parents should teach their children to treat every human being with respect and equality, irrespective of age, gender, and class.”
A Bareilly baby shook up this film-maker
Ludhiana: Meet city lad Abhinav Shukla (37) who came up with a short film on female infanticide. Born and brought up in Bhai Randir Singh Nagar, Shukla is an engineer by profession, and a model, actor, and director by choice. He moved to Mumbai a decade ago, and established himself as an actor in TV serials. Then, he moved to Bollywood, and has recently turned film director with his debut production, Bareilly Ki Beti.
The 7-minute, 56-second short film is based on the social evil of female infanticide, inspired by a real-life incident that occurred in Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh). A couple had gone to bury their stillborn, and discovered a live baby girl buried in a pot three feet under the ground, while digging out a grave for their own child.
The sensitive film-maker said, “The incident shook me, as the news made it to the front pages of all major publications. But the news had a very small shelf life, soon to be replaced by another sensation. So, I decided to make the incident into a short film. My wife Rubina Dilaik played the lead role.”
The film is doing the rounds of festivals. Having already won the ‘Best Outstanding Achievement’ award in the Kolkata International Film Festival, and officially selected in various other festivals, the film is slated to release on March 8. He adds, “The incident was so dramatic, ironic, and shocking. I too was a survivor of an incident, and was rescued after 16 hours. Thus, it is important for me that when a kid suffers a lot, the story has to be told to the world. I will keep making movies and features highlighting social evils, and will encourage women to take up martial arts to defend themselves.”