By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi: The Delhi Police will soon deploy 139 girls from northeastern India as part of the federal government efforts to sensitize law enforcers on racial crimes.
The team of newly-trained girls from the region will serve the Delhi people two months after the final commando training.
Patterned on “Charlie Angels,” the American crime drama television series, the girls, recruited last year, underwent vigorous training in handling latest weapons such as AK 47 and Insas in long range. They also learned the latest laws and Hindi language and mastered martial arts.
On February 6, the girls gave resounding salute to the outgoing Commissioner of Police during the send-off parade at Old Delhi,.as thousands watched.
“I was swelling with pride, when I saw them marching down in military rhythmic band sound of “Delhi police tu barte jao (you march ahead),” said Robin Hibu, Joint Commissioner (Training) of Delhi Police and the Nodal Officer for Northeast People.
The Indian Police Service officer from Arunachal Pradesh told Matters India that he was amazed at the changes in the girls, who hesitant last year. “I can’t believe my eyes seeing them now with tanned skin and smartly dressed saluting the police chief amid thunderous uproar of clapping,” he added.
The Delhi police recruited them to deploy in the flying squads meant to check crime against women on the Delhi streets, especially those from the northeastern states.
The newly trained Delhi police will safeguard places such as Munirka, Kotla, Khirki Extension, Safdarjung, Sunlight Colony, Jamia, Janakpuri, Burari, Mukherjee Nagar, Civil Lines, Timarpur, Mahipalpur, Vasant Vihar and Ambedkar Nagar, where a large number of people from the region live.
An estimated 700,000 people from northeastern India live in the national capital for studies, jobs, business and other works. Until now, the Delhi police had hardly 50 people from the region.
The Delhi police would recruit a total of 610 people from the northeastern states.
The department has a special Helpline for northeast people under a Deputy Commissioner of Police. It is maintained by 44 personnel from northeastern India. They have been trained to face any eventuality. They can communicate any language in the region, if the complainant cannot speak Hindi.
Delhi Police had earlier sent its officers to the northeast on a two-week exposure tour to make the force more people-friendly.
Federal Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has spearheaded the efforts to improve the Delhi Police’s capability in curbing racial prejudice against northeast communities in Delhi.
A federal home ministry report in 2014 noted that crimes against northeast people had gone up 270 percent in the previous three years.
Earlier the government-appointed M P Bezbaruah committee had noted that people from the region were racially discriminated against in Delhi. The 11-member committee, formed after the fatal attack on Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania earlier in 2014, in its report noted that 86 percent northeasterners living in Delhi had faced some sort of racial discrimination.