The Uttar Pradesh Police will launch a special drive across eight districts of Agra zone with focus on improving ties between senior male members and young females in the families.
Senior officials in Agra and Aligarh division, after examining crime records, have found that a sharp divide existed between young females and their fathers, particularly in rural parts of Hathras, Firozabad, Mathura, Kasganj and Etah.
A fortnight ago, ADG Agra zone, Anupam Kulshreshtha, got in touch with officials from other departments, self-help groups, NGOs, psychologists, counsellors and educationists and activists in Agra and neighbouring districts.
“In cases in which adolescents elope, families involved often take undue advantage of the legal system and frame each other in criminal cases and married and adult female members are often used as shields,” said Kulshreshtha, pointing at another social problem prevailing in western UP.
UNICEF has been roped in as lead partner, while support of 13 more NGOs was sought to make successful ‘Operation Jagriti’ under which a door-to-door sensitisation and counselling exercise will be undertaken in target villages.
For the drive, 300 gram panchayats have been identified, in 62 development blocks. Force from 130 police stations will be deployed, including women personnel and village development officers will be nodal officers.
A direct communication channel between the 37 nodal officers and local administration will be set up to sort out issues.
IG Agra range, Deepak Kumar said volunteers and policemen have been asked to compile the reasons families implicate each other falsely.
Teachers and counsellors will be asked to talk to elderly male members of families and encourage them to bond with teenage girls so that they trust them rather than male friends and strangers they meet online.
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