The police brass in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh invited wrath and outrage as a couple of male persons took measurements for the uniforms of women constables.
As a related video and news went viral, the police tried to pacify the situation which attracted the ire of women organisations and political parties. The incident took place when a male tailor with his male assistant, instead of women, took measurements of the women constables for uniforms.
The police officials probably engaged some tailors to get measurements for uniforms at Umesh Chandra Conference Hall at Police Parade Grounds in Nellore. The male persons took measurements of women constables who came from the Kavali and Atmakur divisions.
The women had to give measurements in the presence of three police staff including a head constable. The women deplored that they are aware of tailoring and had to face the embarrassment of giving measurements to some male persons instead of women who were also present.
The women met some media persons to deplore the incident of insult and pain. Reacting to the same SP Vijaya Rao inspected the scene. She said that they offered the work of uniforms stitching to an outsourcing agency. “We have appointed a woman for the purpose and corrected the situation by finding that a male person got the measurements. We gave orders to take action against a person for violating norms by entering into a prohibited area,” she said.
Later in the evening, ASP Venkata Rathnam said that there were no women tailors with knowledge of stitching uniforms for lady constables. “With this, a male tailor came to show how to take measurements and we corrected the situation. I was inspecting the same in the presence of three women sub-inspectors, six constables and three home guards. We sent the male tailor back and women constables oppose the same and action taken against a woman constable Meera in this regard. While a person clicked the photos in seconds and the videos went viral showing that measurements for uniforms were taken by a male tailor in the presence of three male constables,” he said.
In protest against the incident, AIYF and AISF leaders and activists staged a dharna at the SP Office in Nellore. They demanded action against the women police. Later the police arrested AIYF district secretary MD Siraj and AISF district secretary Shaik Masthan and others.
State Women Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma inquired with the district SP and instructed the police top brass to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and protect the interests of women.
BJP State women’s wing leader Sadhineni Yamini Sharma expressed serious displeasure on the incident. She demanded that Home Minister Sucharitha should resign from her post and tender an apology in this regard. It is shameful on the part of the government and police officials, she said, adding that whether they accept similar incidents happen in their house.
Also, the TDP’s woman wing leader Vangalapudi Anitha slammed the police officials and the government for not finding women tailors for the purpose. There is no security for women in the state in the YCP rule, she charged. She questioned how the police will protect people when they fail to protect the women constables.
State Women Association President Prabhavathi and Secretary Ramadevi sought immediate action on the erring police staff. They lamented that it is undemocratic to give uniforms and involve male tailors to take measurements for women constables.
When the matter is sub judice on government orders promoting the women panchayat secretaries as the women constables, it is not correct to give them khaki pants and shirts, they said. They demanded that HM Sucharitha should take immediate action against the police officials and staff for violations.
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