There is no disputing that Yogi Adityanath wants to bring about visible changes on the ground, and fast. law and order is one area that he is determined to tackle, and the anti-Romeo squad is one of the vehicles for that change. But he must proceed with caution
Soon after taking charge of India’s politically most significant State, Yogi Adityanath’s immediate implementation of the anti-Romeo squads’ idea to check eve-teasing, has led to furious debates between supporters and opponents in equal measure, as they have sought to outwit each other from every platform.
But none is denying the ‘swiftness’ of the move. The shouting brigade, which was until now demanding stringent measures for women’s safety, is acutely apprehensive about this drive, and has lamented that the Adityanath Government had rushed to launch an indiscriminate ‘crackdown’ on young men, without issuing proper guidelines to his police force.
The fact that has been missed by critics is that this was one of the assurances the BJP had made in its election manifesto. And not just that, it had also been given wide publicity. Hence, it can be safely assumed that this was one of the reasons, though not the only one, why the people gave a huge mandate to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
The party’s election manifesto categorically called for the creation of anti-Romeo dals (squads) near colleges to “ensure the safety of college-going girls” and “check eve-teasing”. Clearly, the squads are official vigilante groups who have been given the muscle-power and the authority to look after the safety of women and girls.
Trained police officers have been ostensibly dedicated to cracking down on male street eve-teasers who loiter around in public spaces to stalk and molest women. These people are then interrogated and their parents informed about their activities and whereabouts. It appears that the move has shaken things up.
The initiative has been welcomed by girls and their parents alike. Also, inspired by the script of the Uttar Pradesh Government, Right-wing outfits in Uttarakhand have demanded that anti-Romeo squads be set up in the hill State too. Madhya Pradesh is also in deep thoughts about the same.
But criticisms have been many. Some have argued that the Adityanath Government’s designation of the term ‘anti-Romeo’ is inappropriate. They have asked: Why call it ‘anti-Romeo’IJ Why not use some another name; just an anti-eve-teasing cell, for instanceIJ More so, the term reflects on Shakespeare’s character, Romeo, in his play Romeo and Juliet.
However, Shakespeare’s Romeo has himself has different overtones in literary quarters. While some critics have considered his character to be of blemish, owing to his shift in love from Juliet’s cousin Rosaline to Juliet (which was gravely unethical in those days), others have made attempts to purify his image. The latter have their own bowdlerised versions.
But a better understanding of the ‘Romeo’ term has to come out of the confines of the literary word and be seen as a language of the streets. Whether Romeo was a hero or a villain, nobody really cares. One can argue that the term ‘roadside Romeo’ is frequently encountered in everyday conversation and in newspapers too, with reference to young men who move about with misplaced romance on their lips. But what’s with a name as long as the ultimate aim is achieved, which is to stop the harassment of womenIJ
Nonetheless, criticism has been about the decisive action on the part of Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, who, in the name of the anti-eve-teasing drive, have on occasions indiscriminately harassed individual couples without first seeking to determine if they were in the wrong.
Thousands of young men hanging around on the streets and in the parks have been questioned, and shamed publically. Their activities were reported to their parents without any indication of misbehaviour with women. Many consensual adults, socialising in public, too have been troubled. Clearly, the exercise has been morphed by some policemen into moral policing. They have, perhaps, taken the onus onto themselves to course-correct errant youths. This is a sort of official vigilantism in an age where individual rights are becoming paramount.
On the surface, these are legitimate concerns. There can be no doubt that Uttar Pradesh Police has a less than solid reputation. And this, not just in matters of nabbing eve-teasers but in virtually every other instance of law and order execution. Will the police personnel change in the Adityanath rajIJ
Given that even the best initiatives can be misused, it is only to be expected that such moves will come under the lens, even if there are only stray instances of excesses. The Chief Minister has himself cautioned the police. In one particular instance, three policemen were suspended after a video of some people shaving the head of a youth, who was roaming with a female friend, went viral on social media. Many men, who were found with women, were asked to hold their ears and do sit-ups in public. The police is to be held accountable.
Given Yogi Adityanath’s record, it is possible that the regime he heads will severely haul up the errant police personnel. Already, about 100 men, identified as ‘black sheep’ among the policemen, have been suspended on grounds of laxity in imposing law and order.
As for those who have taken such umbrage as to condemn the Uttar Pradesh Government’s anti-Romeo drive, they have fallen into confused silence when Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer, compared Shakespeare’s Romeo (who, he said, had fallen in love with just one lady) with the Hindu deity, lord Krishna, who, according to him, was a serial eve-teaser. Bhushan also dared the Adityanath Government to rename the unit as ‘anti-Krishna squads’.
While Bhushan is at liberty to either criticise or applaud the anti-Romeo drive, he cannot go overboard by dragging in religious sentiments of the people. He may have wanted to sound smart, but he ended up apologising for his silly analogy. He is a reputed lawyer and a logical person. By giving a religious hue to a social issue, he only complicated matters for himself. Bhushan often puts puts his foot in his mouth; he had once advocated Kashmir’s separation from India — or something to that effect!
But Uttar Pradesh Police also has other issues to concentrate on, besides the anti-Romeo squads. Crime rates in the State are alarming. According to data from the National Crimes Record Bureau, Uttar Pradesh is the most unsafe place for women to be living in. In 2014 alone, 38,467 crimes against women were reported. To top it all, there is an acute shortage of police personnel.
Political interference in the functioning of the police has to end. In major districts of the State, members of a particular caste had been given prime postings during the Samajwadi Party rule. The police needs to be modernised too. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will have performed no small miracle if he truly revamps the police force.
(The writer is Senior Assistant Editor, The Pioneer)