Mysore/Mysuru: In yet another step towards stopping harassment of women and providing better disposal of their complaints, the City Police have opened a one-stop service centre.

With this, the Mysuru City Police have achieved one more milestone that will go a long way in mitigating crimes against women, the first one being opening of a dedicated Women’s Police Station at Lashkar Police Station years back that is now acting as a ray of hope to affected and harassed women.

The one-stop service centre too has been opened at the Lashkar Police Station and City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta inaugurated it yesterday.

The centre with five rooms has all the basic amenities like counselling room, first aid, legal advice section and temporary shelter for the women who come to the Police Station seeking justice and also to speedily address their grievances.

A press release from the office of the Commissioner stated that the centre was opened following a Government order issued in October 2018 for the benefit of women. The Government order says that in case of any crime women can go to the nearest Police Station to lodge a complaint. She will be later referred to the Women’s Police Station that has been set up exclusively for the purpose. 

 In case of matrimonial disputes, such plaints have to be sent to counselling and in case a woman is subjected to physical assault, she has to be taken to a hospital for medical check-up. If a woman is rejected by her own family, she and her children have to be accommodated at the centre and the Police must counsel her to face life and give her legal options. 

The one-stop service centre functions with the above framework and to achieve the goals of the Government order, five rooms at the Women’s Police Station have been renovated and equipped with computers and furniture including beds for the women in distress to rest and regain composure.

Legal advice about rights

Speaking to Star of Mysore, a senior Police Officer said that a large number of couples separate each year while many women end their lives due to harassment or are killed for dowry, etc. To bring down such incidents, the Police will now not only counsel but also provide free legal advice to women, besides giving them information about their rights, he said.

After primary assistance to women in distress by the personnel at the one-stop service centre, disputes will be handled appropriately by trained women Cops. At the centre, women will be counselled, given medical attention, if needed, and information about laws would be disseminated. The service centre, where women affected by domestic and sexual violence could stay for a brief period, would render counselling to these victims. Women would be allowed to stay in at the one-stop centre and their cases would be taken up by Women Police Station based on the complaints from the victims, the officer added.

DCP (Crime and Traffic) M.S. Geetha Prasanna, ACP (Devaraja Sub-Division) M.N. Shashidhar and Women’s Police Station Inspector V.D. Mamatha and others were present.