KOLKATA, July 7:
The police forces of India’s States and Union Territories have grown by 32 per cent between 2010 and 2020, but the share of women is only a meagre 10.5 per cent as against the desired 33 per cent, according to the India Justice Report (IJR).
Women Help Desks, envisioned as the first and single point of contact for any woman walking into a police station, still elude 41 per cent of the police stations across India.
The share of Scheduled Castes (SCs) has marginally increased from 12.6 per cent in 2010 to 15.2 per cent in 2020, but that of Scheduled Tribes (STs) has only inched up from 10.6 per cent in 2010 to 11.7 per cent in 2020. The Other Backward Classes (OBCs) have registered a stronger representation from 20.8 per cent in 2010 to 28.8 per cent in 2020.
These are some of the findings from IJR’s analysis based on the latest data on Police Organisations (DoPO) Report 2021, which captures data as of January 2021. The DoPO is published periodically by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, an entity of the Government of India.
Governments at the Union, State, and Union Territory (UT) levels have accepted diversity in their police forces, both by policy and mandate. Among the 24 States and UTs, that have reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs, only Karnataka has met its statutory reserved quotas in 2020.
Among the 17 States and UTs, that have mandated 33% of their police force to comprise women, none has achieved their target, said IJR Chief Editor Maja Daruwala. (UNI)
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