Romeos or eve-teasers? 'Juliets' are definitely unhappy over 'moral policing' in UP

Youngsters in Uttar Pradesh have expressed their reservation regarding the anti-Romeo squad.

Lucknow, March 24: As anti-Romeo squads guard public spaces to protect girls/women across Uttar Pradesh, residents of the country's most populous state have a problem with the name 'Romeo' attached with the entire women-friendly drive.

A report in NDTV cited that many in Uttar Pradesh are confused as why the administration is calling the group 'anti-Romeo squad'. "Romeo, the immortal Shakespearean character, was a lover. Romeo, the character, is not an eve-teaser or rowdy. "Why are they calling the squad anti-Romeo?" questioned a college-going girl.

In their election manifesto, the Bharatiya Janata Party promised to create anti-Romeo squads across Uttar Pradesh to provide safety measures to 'harassed' women. During the previous Samajwadi Party regime, several cases of rapes were reported in the state.

After the BJP won the elections, and Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister of the state, anti-Romeo squads swung into action in various cities such as Meerut and Lucknow. The special squad is a part of the Uttar Pradesh police force.

Within a few days of the formation of these squads, many have expressed their apprehensions about the way these groups are working. A college student speaking to CNN-News18 said that there was nothing wrong for a boy to talk to a girl. "We go to colleges, we meet friends and we have several friends who are boys. These squads are also questioning and warning boys who are simply talking to girls. Even after repeated clarification from girls about these boys being their friends, these squads have publicly warned and humiliated them," she said.

Her friend said, "We can't live under so much restrictions where young people are punished for just talking to each other." Many feel that the squad members are acting like 'moral police', who stand outside girls' colleges, and have questioned even fathers and brothers of many girls for talking to them.

However, the Uttar Pradesh Police has assured that the anti-Romeo squad is not a vigilante group, but is there to protect women/girls. Even the new chief minister has asked the police to take action against vigilantes who are trying to intimidate boys and girls in the name of anti-Romeo squads.

OneIndia News