The nationwide outrage over the growing incidence of sexual assault on women has prompted a top woman police officer in Bihar to teach young girls to fight back.

Katihar SP Kim, a 2008-batch IPS officer, has launched a drive to train school and college girls the skills required to take on molesters. The SP has been making the rounds of schools and colleges in this impoverished district in eastern Bihar, where a large number of rapes are reported every year.

 Neetu, a Katihar college student and a black belt in judo, has been assigned the task of providing self-defence training to girls. Kim has also been offering tips to the students.  "In a district headed by a female SP it is only natural that the security of women should top the priority list of the police. We have launched a helpline number exclusively for women," Kim said.

She plans to extend the initiative to rural areas.

"To make the police more accessible, we have started distributing pamphlets and stickers with telephone numbers of police officers and the control room in different parts of the city and rural areas," Kim said.