The Noida police have started issuing red cards as warning to men caught stalking women or passing comments. The red card will forewarn that making derogatory comment about a woman or following her are offences inviting jail term.
The attempt is seen as a confidence-booster for women who fear reporting such incidents to the police for fear of reprisal.
The Noida police will seek feedback from residents, school girls, college students and professionals to identify areas prone to eveteasing and harassment of women.
"Once the offender is identified, we will make sure that his personal details, including his address and contact number, are taken in a register for future record and a red card issued to him. This will serve as a warning to those who harass women verbally or otherwise. If the individual is found committing the offence again, strict action will be taken. The red card is essentially a non-coercive measure," said Vineet Jaiswal, SP (Rural), Gautam Budh Nagar.
The police have received 8,500 feedbacks from 160 schools and have issued 20 red cards to the people.
"Gaining the trust of girls and women is very important. They should feel safe. We want to ensure that no anti-social activity takes place," said Jaiswal.
According to an official in the Gautam Budh Nagar police department, the police have deployed the "anti-Romeo squad" and will patrol on a routine basis.
The teams will have at least one sub-inspector rank officer and four constables two male and two females. Jaiswal said the teams will be in uniform and civil dress to nab the accused.
"After getting the feedback from women and girls, we will be able to identify the areas such as lanes or corners, where men hang out to harass them. We will then form teams to monitor these places," Jaiswal added.
( With inputs from IANS )