Protection of Woman against Sexual Harassment
Home, Women Development and Social Welfare, Sexual Abuse
Government of West Bengal
Home Department
Internal Security Branch
Secret Cell
Writers’ Buildings
From: D. Bhattacharyya, I.A.S.
Additional Secretary
To: 1. The District Magistrate,_________________
2. The Superintendent of Police,_________________
3. The Commissioner of Police, Kolkata/ Bidhannagar/ Barrackpore/ Howrah/ Asansol – Durgapur/ Siliguri.
No. 214(42)-I.S.S. Dated, Kolkata, the 8th February, 2013
Sub: Hon’ble Supreme Court order on Protection of Woman against Sexual Harassment at workplaces and measures to curb eve-teasing.
Sir,
I am directed to refer to orders passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India on 30th November, 2012 in the context of Civil Appeal No. 8513 of 2012 and to request you to ensure effective and proper measures on the following directives and to inform and publicise to the general public and the authorities concerned accordingly:-
(1) To depute plain clothed female police officers in the precincts of bus-stands and stops, railway stations, metro stations, cinema theatres, shopping malls, parks, beaches, public service vehicles, places of worship etc. so as to monitor and supervise incidents of eve-teasing;
(2) To install CCTV in strategic positions which itself would be a deterrent and if detected, the offender could be caught;
(3) Persons in-charge of the educational institutions, places of worship, cinema theatres, railway stations, bus-stands have to take steps as they deem fit to prevent eve-teasing, within their precincts and, on a complaint being made, they must pass on the information to the nearest police station or the Women’s Help Centre;
(4) Where any incident of eve-teasing is committed in a public service vehicle either by the passengers or the persons in charge of the vehicle, the crew of such vehicle shall, on a complaint made by the aggrieved person, take such vehicle to the nearest police station and give information to the police. Failure to do so should lead to cancellation of the permit to ply;
(5) To establish Women’ Helpline in various cities and towns, so as to curb eve-teasing within three months;
(6) Suitable boards cautioning such act of eve-teasing be exhibited in all public places including precincts of educational institutions, bus stands, railway stations, cinema theatres, parties, beaches, public service vehicles, places of worship etc;
(7) Responsibility is also on the passers-by and on noticing such incident, they should also report the same to the nearest police station or to Women Helpline to save the victims from such crimes.
Action taken on the above may be informed to the Home Department.
Yours faithfully,
Sd/- D. Bhattacharyya
Addl. Secy. to the Govt. of West