371 arrested, around 2,400 detained in 20 days for harassing women on Delhi streets

New Delhi: The arrest of over 370 persons and detention of around 2,400 who are alleged to be habitual eve-teasers and stalkers in just 20 days under an initiative launched by Delhi Police, has once again thrown light on the extent of harassment women have to face in the streets of the national capital.

Areas around shopping malls, university campus and the ones with large migrant population have turned out to be the vulnerable zones with the most number of offenders held from such places, said a senior police official. The southern part of Delhi, which happens to be a hub of posh localities, topped the list of detention with as many as 831 persons detained between August 3 and 23 for allegedly harassing woman on streets, as per Delhi Police records.

Strict vigil near Delhi University's South Campus, Dhaula Kuan and Vasant Vihar - major points where large number of students enrolled in the South Campus colleges board and de-board buses, and areas like Mehrauli and Malviya Nagar, which have huge migrant population and some of the biggest shopping malls, have led to high number of detention, said R S Krishnia, Joint Commissioner of Police (Southeast Range). The northeast district of Delhi Police, which largely comprises slum clusters and unauthorised colonies, topped the list of arrest with more than 70 persons arrested for alleged stalking, trying to touch women inappropriately, misbehaving and/or showing indecent gestures. East Delhi follows with 69 arrests in the period.

The Shishtachar initiative, launched on August 3, is based on the concept of "detain and discipline", said S K Gautam, Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range). Under Gautam's supervision, three persons were arrested and 12 more detained for allegedly harassing women in and around the Delhi University campus in north Delhi. The northwest district of Delhi Police ranks second in terms of detention with as many as 552 persons detained for harassing women.

"Most of the offenders were nabbed from areas near the shopping malls - mostly located at Netaji Subhash Place and Pitampura. There are few Delhi University colleges in areas under the jurisdiction of north-west Delhi too and some offenders were found targeting women there. We alerted our officials there," said Sanjay Singh, Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range).

During the period, as many as 371 persons were arrested and 2,387 detained for harassing women.