Red cards for Gorakhpur Road Romeos!

Under the new plan, police in Gorakhpur police plan to ask girl students to fill in cards with details such as places where someone often passes comments or details about harassers around their college.

The city police plans to make Road Romeos see red, in order to rein in such elements and to check growing cases of sexual harassment and sexual assaults on women.

The city police plans to make Road Romeos see red, in order to rein in such elements and to check growing cases of sexual harassment and sexual assaults on women. (Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times (representative image))

Under the new plan, police in Gorakhpur police plan to ask girl students to fill in cards with details such as places where someone often passes comments or details about harassers around their college. Based on the information collected through the card, the police will identify black spots or the places in town which often witness sexual harassment.

“Special vigil will be kept at such places by the police and the local intelligence unit (LIU). Persons unable to justify their presence outside a girls’ school or college, will be handed a red card with a stern warning, Gorakhpur SSP Kaustubham said, adding, “Police will also call them for counselling to police stations. A digital record will be maintained of all suspects at the police station concerned. If such persons show no sign of improvement, stern action will be taken,” the SSP said.

The move comes after a series of crimes reported recently against women, including the rising graph of rape, over which chief minister Yogi Adityanath has shown displeasure and directed officials to deal miscreants with iron hand.