Thanks Cops, Women Are Done With You! CRPF Handles Stalkers Better

Almost a year ago, the CRPF started a distress helpline number ‘14411’, to assist people of J&K across the country.

CRPF helpline ‘Madadgaar’ comes to the rescue of women.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

“Just one call helped me get rid of a stalker,” a victim of stalking told The Quint. It was no superhero who helped her, nor was it the police.

It was the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) that came to her rescue.

I didn’t want to face (police) questions, that’s why I took this route (the Madadgaar helpline). I thought it is better if my problem gets solved through this. When I saw the toll-free number (Madadgaar helpline number) on news channels, I called them. Had I gone to the police, they would’ve blamed me saying I had done something wrong. 

Complainant no. 1, Resident of Delhi

Almost a year ago, the CRPF, a paramilitary force, started a distress helpline number ‘14411’, to assist people of Jammu and Kashimir across the country. The CRPF received over 2.2 lakh calls on various issues such as no power, no water supply, medical emergency, stalking, harassment, etc.

Though the helpline was mainly for Kashimiris, it hasn’t stopped people of other states from calling the helpline.

Interestingly, some victims of harassment and stalking have chosen to call the CRPF rather than the police. Three complainants spoke to The Quint on the condition of anonymity and said that with the CRPF’s help, they got rid of their stalkers instantly and without any hassle.

I called (Madadgaar helpline) them and said I was being harassed by someone. I told them the calls are coming from so and so phone number. After this call to Madadgaar, I never had any problems. I even shared this helpline number with a few friends, so that they can call them if they face any issue.

Complainant no. 1, Resident of Delhi

The helpline has received over 90 harassment and stalking complaints in a year. All of which were successfully resolved without police intervention, said a CRPF officer.

There was a person who was continuously harassing me (on call). Despite telling him that it’s a wrong number and that he should stop harassing me, he did not listen. He kept calling me continuously. I then called 14411. I spoke to someone (CRPF jawan). I told him I was calling from Aligarh and gave him the number of the person who was calling and harassing me. The CRPF jawaan must have spoken to that man...I don’t know what they did. But after that day, I never got any call from that man. A few days later, I called the helpline back and thanked them for helping me.

Complainant no. 2, Resident of UP

In every case of eve-teasing [harassment], we called the person who was harassing the woman. We made him understand the repercussions if he continued to harass the woman. And this worked in all cases. We managed to solve all eve-teasing cases from our end. If an FIR was required, we would have probably contacted the local police.  

Moses Dinakaran, DIG, CRPF

Why CRPF Over Police?

The condition of the UP police is such that if you call them for help, either the calls go unanswered or you are asked irrelevant questions, like ‘What does your father do?’ ‘What do you do?’ ‘Is it your personal phone number?’ Blah blah. So one gets an idea of the direction the queries are veering towards. I was uncomfortable; I did not want to face police questions.

Complainant 2, Resident of UP

Police reform is the need of the hour. Police is not only there to stop crime but also to help citizens of the country. (CRPF) spoke to me very politely and didn’t ask me any uncomfortable questions. I am scared of the kind of questions asked by the police.

Complainant 1, Delhi Resident

Solving And Following Up Too

A Kashmiri lady who was harassed by an internet cafe owner said that apart from solving her problem, the CRPF also followed up with her to find out if she was harassed further.

CRPF called him (Internet cafe owner) and indirectly asked if he called women and harassed them. He later called me and said that he had received a call (from CRPF) and wanted to know if I had informed them. I called the helpline again and informed them about his call. They called him the next day and threatened him that he was being tracked and if he made any more calls to women, they would take him into custody. Since then, I haven’t received a call from that phone number.

Complainant 3, Resident of Kashmir

This proves that the police can, like CRPF jawans, resolve issues in an acceptable timeframe without making the victims feel uncomfortable. They could even prevent cases of stalking and harassment from turning into rape and murder – if they want to.