Police in India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh has formed special squads to deal with acts of men passing comments and teasing women at public places, prompting varied reactions from citizens and politicians.
While many residents believed this move by the state police will help curb the widespread menace of "Eve-teasing" (men making sexual comments and physically touching women) and lessen the incidents of petty crime such as snatchings, many are concerned about the police crossing the line and resorting to ‘moral policing’.
Much to the chagrin of literature lovers, these squads have been named ‘Anti-Romeo Squads’.
The newly elected chief minister, Yogi Adityanath- hermit himself, made it a priority of his government to put an end to eve-teasing and gave a go-ahead to the state police’s special ‘Anti-Romeo’ squads in the state where women folk are beset by the persistent crimes against women.
However, in many instances, these squads have been found to be cracking down on young men and women, mostly students seen together at public places.
A YouTube video shows a woman police officer accompanied by a police party upbraiding young men and women sitting together in public parks and historical monuments.
“This operation is named Anti-Romeo operation,” the woman police officer tells local reporters.
“We are taking those individuals to task who defile our traditional lifestyle and our culture and spoil the family-like ambience of our public places.”
Many on Twitter said the move is an attack on the fundamental rights of the people of the state.
This has prompted Tehseen Poonawala, a well-known political commentator and supporter of the Congress party (the main opposition party in India) to warn of a court challenge to the formation of Anti-Romeo Squads.
Even as the Bard of Avon himself said,"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet," some are suggesting changing the name of the police squad.
