Bengaluru Police Flag Off ‘Pink Hoysala’ For Women’s Safety

Women’s safety is a matter of grave concern in Bengaluru, especially since the mass molestation fiasco that took place in the city at the start of 2017. The city police had therefore announced a new patrolling system, ‘Pink Hoysala’, to ensure safety of women in public spaces. On Monday, April 10, the initiative was flagged off from Vidhan Soudha by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with senior police officials.

The move came after recent incidents of harassment and sexual exploitation in areas like Banasawadi, Kothanur and others.

The new patrolling system will have 51 Pink Hoysala vehicles to move around in the city and respond to women’s complaints and queries.

Each Hoysala vehicle will have three policewomen and these will be parked near schools, women’s colleges, offices, temples, shopping malls and theatres. The complaints -- filed through the police force’s mobile app ‘Suraksha’ in the city and through the police control room number 100 -- will also be addressed by staff who are specially trained to solve women’s safety issues. If a case is filed at the control room, then the nearest vehicle from the place of incident will rush to the spot.

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The Hoysala vehicles have equipment like GPS and cameras. The staff at the police control room will monitor the Hoysalas.

Before the Hoysalas came into the picture, the Bengaluru police had a similar system called Abhaya vehicles patrolling the city to address women’s safety concerns. Let's hope the Hoysalas do a better job in addressing women's woes.

Picture credit- Indian Express