Nirbhaya Cell dysfunctional, Sheila vows to take up matter with LG

, Mar 4: Almost 15 months after the brutal gangrape and death of a medical student in Delhi on Dec 16 2012, the 181 "

" helpline set up by the Delhi government , is on the verge of being disconnected, said an NDTV report.

Dubbing it as 'insensitivity towards women', former chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit has vowed to take it up with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. "This is a very retrograde step. There should be some number that women can go to... some number when needed. I condemn it," she said today.

The Nirbhaya helpline was a part of several steps taken by the Delhi government after a student was assaulted by 4 men in a moving bus in 2012. She died 16 days after the incident due to internal injuries. The all-women team who run the helpline says that they haven't received salaries for two months.

However, the employees say that the helpline continues to receive some 3,000 calls every day. According to the staff, 75,000 cases have been processed till now. The helpline cell is linked with hospitals, police and courts.

However, after the Aam Aadmi Party took over Delhi after last assembly elections, staff contracts have not been renewed.

Oneindia News