Nagpur: Despite the alarming increase in cases of misconduct and harassment against women in Maharashtra, the State remains indifferent to setting up women’s police stations. Ironically, the land of Rajmata Jijabai and Savitribai Phule does not have a single dedicated women’s police station.
According to a report by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, there are 769 women’s police stations across 29 states and 4 Union Territories in India. Of these, 648 are located in urban areas and 121 in rural regions. The number has grown from 586 in 2017 to 769 in 2023. Ideally, every district should have at least one women’s police station.
Gold Rate
Tuesday 21 Jan. 2025
However, Maharashtra has not established even one such station to date. The State recorded 37,144 cases of crimes against women in 2019, 31,954 in 2020, 39,526 in 2021, and 45,331 in 2022. Disturbing incidents like the rape and murder of two minor sisters in Rajgurunagar, the molestation of schoolgirls in Badlapur, and the infamous Shakti Mills case highlight the urgent need for better infrastructure for women’s safety.
Over the past 50 years, successive governments in Maharashtra have failed to prioritize this critical issue. Notably, India’s first women’s police station was established on October 27, 1973, in Kozhikode, Kerala.
The lack of dedicated women’s police stations in Maharashtra raises serious questions about the State’s commitment to women’s safety.
