THE FORGOTTEN MAHILA THANA

The Mahila Thana in Sector 39, Noida has been neglected for years. The only Women’s Police Station in the district of Noida which caters to 7.57 lakh women is in dire need of attention from the authorities. The building which was a mortuary till 2009 was turned into a police station. It still lacks basic amenities such as clean drinking water, a PCR van and a proper roof to prevent leakage.

The police station that was set up for women does not have a proper vehicle, and the SHO is compelled to use her private vehicle for official commuting. The official car was provided to the station after eight months after it was first set up, and now lies discarded, in need of repair.

The drinking water in the police station isn’t fit for consumption and the personnel have to buy bottled water. The water cooler lies unused as it could not be set up with the station’s water pipes.

The current location of the thana was a temporary one, as the land allocated for it on paper has now a new police station named Phase 3 built on it. The station has 20 police personnel – all of them women. Despite the non-existent infrastructure, they attend to a stream of complaints everyday – mostly related to domestic violence, dowry and eve teasing.   To receive emergencies and walk-in-complaints, three women are posted at the station through the night.

Speaking to Newslaundry, an officer (who refused to be named) from the administration said “Mahila Thana has all of Gautam Budh Nagar in its jurisdiction and yet we do not have proper facilities”. On being asked about other police stations, the officer said, “Attitude of the authorities towards Mahila Thana is, bhaad mai jaye mahila thana, chale na chale kya fark padhta hai (to hell with Mahila Thanas, how does it matter whether they function or not)?”

Crimes against women in UP are high, and if Mahila Thanas are so neglected, how is the aam aurat going to fare?