Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police have launched a special motorcycle patrolling team, ‘Shakti Bahini’, to ensure safety of women and children at Durga Puja pandals across Odisha capital.
Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh flagged off the special initiative in presence of DCP Bhubaneshwar Pinak Mishra on Thursday evening.
Shakti Bahini consists of 40 women police personnel and they have been provided with bikes for patrolling duties. “This proactive measure is aimed at preventing crimes against women and ensuring a safe and secure environment for all. The teams will keep an eye on women and children indulging in snatching and thefts. These officers will also deal with any woman found drunk at public places,” Singh said.
The patrol teams will be strategically deployed across key areas of Durga Puja pandals and crowded places, he added.
Notably, the Commissionerate Police have mobilised more numbers of lady police personnel to ensure safety of women visitors during pandal hopping in the city. Special deployment has been made at 14 major puja pandals – Nayapalli, Saheed Nagar, Rasulgarh, Jharpada, Old Station Bazar, Baramunda, Cuttack Road, Ravi Talkies, Ruchika Market, Lingaraj, Ganga Nagar, Chandrasekharpur, Infocity and Nandankanan. Dedicated police teams in plain clothes have also been deployed for safety and security of the women in Nayapalli, Saheed Nagar, Rasulgarh, Jharpada, Old Station Bazar, Bomikhal and Baramunda.
Additional lady police personnel have been deployed to Nayapalli, Saheed Nagar, Jharpada, Rasulgarh and Palasuni puja pandals to ensure women devotees do not face any inconvenience during Ashtami rituals on Friday morning.
Police have also activated the High Efficiency Response (HER) squad to remain vigilant during Durga Puja.
A total of 187 pandals have come up in the city and 13 mobile parties have been pressed into service at 48 that witness maximum footfall during the five-day long festival from Sashthi to Dasami. Three police teams have been constituted with an ACP rank officer each to carry out patrolling in three sectors – Palasuni to CRP Square, Rasulgarh to Kalpana and Vani Vihar to Rajmahal. Cops have been directed to remain stationed at major mandaps till late night pandal hopping is over. Three striking forces have been deployed, and control rooms set up at the major puja pandals.
Armed police personnel have been deployed at 22 pandals which have chandi medhas (silver tableaux).