Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja asks cops to be polite to women

Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja in a release on Tuesday urged the state police to ensure that they use polite language with women who visit police stations.

Jadeja's urging comes a day after reports emerged that a cop in Jamnagar slapped cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife after her car accidentally hit his vehicle. Jadeja also reminded the cops that they needed to be seen as friends of the citizens since it was their duty to serve them. He also suggested a language etiquette class for the cops, particularly at the police station level. The minister also asked the top cops to regularly visit the police stations in their jurisdiction to take stock of the situation and to immediately take action if any such cases are reported. He added that there was a need to increase the scope of Abhayam helpline 181, which is exclusively for women.

The minister, in a release, said that the government was doing several things to ensure safety of women in the state and one of the thing it has done is to increase awareness about the 181 helpline.

He said these measures were imperative not just to ensure a good image of the police, but also to ensure that citizens reposed their faith in the department.