Bharuch/Vadodara: A group of boys used to sit outside a college in Rajpipla whiling away their time so that they can stalk a few college girls.However, in April, two burly women cops saw this group of road Romeos, they walked up to them and asked for their identity cards. They also inquired about the the reason for sitting outside the college. Sensing police action, the group suddenly beat retreat from there.Over the past three months, many such eve-teasers loitering outside schools and colleges in Narmada district have come under the scanner of women cops riding around in Rajpipla, Kevadiya and Dediapada on scooters. These women cops are members of Gujarat’s first Nirbhaya Squad that was formed in Narmada district in April. Simply moving around and quizzing people have not only given a big sense of safety to young girls and women, but also instilled a sense of fear among the eve-teasers.In fact, senior police officials said not a single complaint of eve-teasing has been reported in Rajpipla, Dediapada and Kevadiya since April. After the formation of the squad, incidents of molestation have come down, but senior police officials believe that the squad will play a bigger role once the ‘Statue of Unity’ near Sardar Sarovar dam is inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October.“This is going to be a huge tourist attraction and we are expecting a massive influx of tourists. Giving female visitors a sense of security is of prime importance and for that the squad will be very helpful,” superintendent of police, Narmada, Mahendra Bagadiya said.Senior police officials said foreign tourists will also visit the ‘Statue of Unity’, therefore Nirbhaya Squad will play role in ensuring their safety.“The squad is now even equipped with button cameras so that later on when allegations are made against the police, we can have evidence to counter them. It is gaining lot of success and we are also planning to emulate the model in other districts that fall under Vadodara range police,” inspector general of police, Vadodara range, Abhay Chudasama said.Though they refrain from taking any drastic action like lodging an FIR, the squad members approach the parents and family members of nuisance makers and warn them of consequences of the legal action. They threaten to lodge a case against the eve-teasers and explain to them how difficult it would be for them to get passports, driving licences or other certificates from police department.Sources said that the college and schools girls now directly call the squad members and inform about mischievous elements. Complaint boxes have also been put up in the educational institutes for those who don’t have mobile phones.

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