Fed up of obscene calls and messages? The answer is with Delhi Police

The helpline number of Delhi Police, 1096, gets about 100 calls in a day, where trained Delhi Police personnel try to tackle the situation as gently as possible.

What do you do when you pick up the phone and hear the person at the other end say — ‘Wanna be my friend’, ‘Let’s meet na baby’ or ‘Chalti hai kya 9 se 12’? Or when you check your message box to discover obscene pictures and texts? Stalkers have been raising the irritation levels of Delhi women for some time now. And, though annoyed to their wit’s end with their nuisance, it’s difficult to think of a permanent solution. Often, women hand over such calls to male friends/family members to intimidate the caller. However, it is not ideal to have to somehow handle harassment.

The Delhi Police’s latest anti-harassment initiative claims to target offenders effectively by way of counselling and warning.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

“I got my phone recharged from a local shop near my residential area, and hence my number was leaked. I started getting random calls from guys at odd hours and I had no clue about how to report the same. I didn’t want to register an FIR since I had heard that it leads to a number of rounds to the police station, which my family wouldn’t have liked. I, then, complained to Delhi Police on their helpline number 1096. Within 24 hours, the obscene calls ceased,” says Monika Khurrana.

Not many people know that women don’t need to file FIRs when they call on the Women Helpline Number. Moreover, the Delhi Police has come up with a campaign— Hamse Panga Matlab, Delhi Police Se Panga, to check sexual harassment, and to spread awareness that help is available nearby. This campaign also informs Delhiites about initiatives taken by the police.

“This is our latest campaign for women’s safety, and we are running it on radio and outdoor, both. We have set-up helplines especially to help women, but most of them are unaware of these numbers. Also, we are planning to launch public meetings and nukkad nataks (street plays) based on this issue, to spread the word,” says Madhur Verma, DCP and PRO, Delhi Police.

Women who receive obscene calls, usually dial 100, or sometimes, 1096. The complaints registered on 100 are directed to the 1096 team. “We receive about 100 complaints for obscene calls in a day,” says Monika Bhardwaj, DCP (PCR), adding, “Both female and male constables take these calls, and note down the contact number from which the complainants have received obscene calls from. The harasser is then counselled by our team and warned not to disturb the complainant again,” says Monika Bhardwaj, DCP (PCR).

The team that caters to the harassed complainants is also trained on how to receive and respond to the distressed. “There is an induction training and regular briefings where the team is taught the basics. Also, they are told how to tackle the case sensitively, keeping the interest of the distressed in mind. Most of the girls don’t want FIR, so we handle the cases accordingly,” adds Bhardwaj.

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