POLICE SHOULD TREAT PEOPLE IN DISTRESS WITH EQUALITY: GOVERNOR

IMPHAL, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 (DIPR): Hon’ble Governor of Manipur Dr. Najma Heptulla addressing at the 2-days Workshop on Gender Sensitive Best Practices, Implementations and Capacity Building of Police Officials at Manipur Police Training College, Pangei, today, said that police should treat those people in distress with equality. The 2-day Workshop, 17th-18th September, was organised by Manipur Police Training College in collaboration with Centre for Social Research, New Delhi, a Non-Governmental Organization, working on gender issues for the police personnel.
Governor Dr. Najma Heptulla applauding the work of the NGO, in sensitizing crime against women, said that gender division is actually in the mindset of the people. And Manipur is one of the few states in the country where women are highly respected, financially and economically independent, equal partners and sometimes more dominating compared to women in other parts of the country. Incidents of atrocities on women are being reported in the past 2 -3 months but the state is generally peaceful due to the police. Those in the police are quite sensitive of the issues not because of any training but because they are born in a society, where women are highly respected and such kind of training is perhaps unnecessary, she added.
She further said that it would be a good step to send representatives from the State to other parts of the country to train and sensitize about gender sensitization. Apart from gender sensitization training, sensitization on the bad effects of drugs should also be taken to up curb violence as there is rise in consumption of drugs among the youths. The police should also increase their vigilance on drugs smuggled from across the border.
The Governor conveying her message to the young police officers said that there should be no discrimination based on caste, creed, religion or gender, as laid down in our Constitution. As a law-enforcing officer, police personnel should abide by the Constitution, and discharge their duties by treating those people in distress with equal respect.
Smt. R.K.Tutusana Devi, IPS, Director, Manipur Police Training College, said that like in other parts of the country crime against women in Manipur is definitely on the rise taking a toll on law and order situation in the State. But inhuman crime such as female foeticide, dowry killing among others are almost non-existent in the State. She added that it is the right time to sensitize the police forces specially the mid-level forces, as crime against women is on the rise in Manipur. The programme will certainly sensitize them on gender issues, not only male officers vis-à-vis female officers, they have to understand themselves, understand the needs of their counterparts male or female and change their behavioral attitude accordingly so that such type of crime are kept under control in the State. She also said that there are still areas in the country that women are still apprehensive of approaching the police. In some cases, there are reports of police harassing the victims instead of helping them. She requested the CSR team to take up sensitization programmes for these police personnel, which will be very beneficial for the police forces.
Smt. K. Sobita, Chairperson, Manipur State Commission for Women, said that the programme is a very pioneering work rendered for the officials in Police Department. In Manipur even though we are not having such serious crime that are happening in other parts of the country, of late there was an increasing trend in the crime against women. And in this regard a sensitization programme for the police personnel and surrounding communities is very much required.
DGP L.M. Khaute, ADGP P. Doungel, Head of Gender Training Institute Juthika Bannerjee, Project Coordinator, Centre for Social Research Priyanka Londhe and Police personnel of the college attended the function (DIPR).