Anti-Romeo squads are not moral police, says Uttar Pradesh DGP

After instances of police highhandedness, the UP DGP took to Twitter to clear the air.

Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh S Javeed Ahmad took to Twitter to clear the air about his department's anti-Romeo squads. Rejecting allegations of anti-Romeo squads behaving like moral police, the Indian Police service officer reiterated that they were aimed at ensuring women safety.

The top cop's tweet comes hours after citizens including parents of boys who were reprimanded by police officers as part of their drive against harassment of women. Police teams have been patrolling near schools, colleges, malls, parks and other public places since Tuesday, pulling up youth for eve-teasing and harassment. While many were picked up for harassing women, other boys who were pulled up allege that the police indulged in moral policing.

"I was standing outside a College to meet a friend, and the police gave me a warning. They wanted to call my parents, but I did not give them the number. They didn't even know if I was there to meet a girl or a boy but they unnecessarily pulled me up," said a boy. Parents of many youngsters also expressed concerns about police picking up their wards for 'perceived wayward' behaviour.

Instances of policemen asking siblings for proof, forcing young boys to do sit-ups as punishment has led to criticisms of the anti-Romeo squad that began its operations on Tuesday, following an order from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

OneIndia News