West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced the launch of two new initiatives – Pink Booths and Mobile Patrol Teams – to further increase the safety and confidence of women in Kolkata.
In a post on X, Mamata said the Kolkata police are setting up several “pink booths” for women at key intersections in the city, which will be operational from evening to midnight.
“My sisters in the city will be able to contact the KP officers directly for any assistance in these booths,” she said.
The Chief Minister also announced the deployment of women’s mobile patrol teams, which she termed ‘SHINING’. These teams will be on duty from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM and will patrol the EM bypass and other major roads that are frequently used by working women during night hours.
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“Several ‘SHINING’ (as I have named them) all-female mobile patrol teams will also be on duty from 8pm to 2am, patrolling the EM bypass and other major city roads used by my working sisters in the night hours,” Banerjee wrote.
Asserting that “Kolkata continues to be the safest city in the country over the years,” the chief minister expressed confidence that two “unique new initiatives will go a long way” in enhancing the safety of women in the metropolis.
Kolkata Police officials are expected to share more details on the deployment methods and strategy later in the day.
Women in Bengal ‘not safe and respected’
The initiatives were announced shortly after Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta targeted the Mamata government on February 23 over issues of women’s safety and security and lawlessness in West Bengal.
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Rekha, who was in Kolkata for the BJP’s Mahila Sammelan, said the TMC had failed to respond adequately to crimes against women.
“We have not seen such bad conditions in any other state in the country where there is a woman as chief minister and women are not safe and respected. It is a shame,” she said, referring to the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital and the Durgapur rape case.
“She (Mamata) is not questioning the culprits but blaming the victim,” Rekha alleged.
“A woman chief minister who supports criminals cannot be Mamata. The whole country is developing: be it the jobs sector, infrastructure, but Bengal, which was once at the forefront, is now lagging behind,” she said.
“This is because of the present government, which only wants power and can do anything for that power. The people of Bengal will no longer tolerate those who stop the growth of the state and attack women’s safety and security,” Rekha added.
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The Delhi CM also claimed that though the central government has several schemes, the TMC government wants everything in its name.
“When I left for Kolkata today, I thought there was ‘Didi’ in Bengal and ‘Bhaiya’ in Delhi. We removed ‘Bhaiya’, now it’s ‘Didi’ time. Both are the same. They want their name in everything,” she said, comparing it to AAP-ruled Delhi.
“Why should we give? It’s common people’s money and it needs to be used. Who are they to stop it? We send millions of money for the people of Bengal but it doesn’t reach them. Where does it go if not to the public? Bengal has a right to live with respect,” added Rekha.
