This piece of news may sound straight out of movies and remind you Madhuri Dixit Nene’s ‘Gulaab Gang’ only it’s not Gulaab/pink but maroon gang this time.
Groups of women from villages of Balod district in Chhattisgarh can be sported wearing maroon berets. Shockingly, they are mostly housewives-turned-commandos who are not from the Army, or paramilitary force.
The foundation of ‘Mahila Commandos’ brigade was laid in 2006 by Shamshad Begum, an Indian activist and later, Padma Shri recipient (2012).
Begum, who has done extensive work for the education of backward communities in Chhattisgarh, was the catalyst in bringing together almost a 100 women who suffered violence at the hands of alcoholic men.
Many of them are also human trafficking victims who, after being rescued, took it upon themselves to fight for basic human rights for members of their society. They are motivated by a simple thought of protecting their children from the atrocities and toxic men.
Chhattisgarh Housewives Designated As Super Police Commandos
The group has now expanded to more than 30 villages with over 15,000 women and has been also recognized and categorized by the Chhattisgarh Police as ‘Super Police Commandos’ (SPOs). The SPOs now work for curbing the rampant crime like domestic violence, dowry system, alcoholism, consumption of drugs and illegal liquor trade in the state, which qualifies for an unsafe work environment.
These women work in teams and regularly patrol the streets of their respective villages to check for these activities. If they find someone in an inebriated state or with an alcohol addiction, they offer counseling in order to help them quit.
Ex-superintendent of police in Balod, Arif Hussain Sheikh played an important role in community policing and in empowering these women by giving them the designation of SPO in mid-2016. Back in his term, he personally selected 10 women from each ward of every village to be named SPO and equipped them with a whistle and a beret. Now, it’s an army of over 15,000 women, who do the policing without taking any fees or salary.
The impact of this initiative was such that not a single person in Balod has been caught drinking outside liquor vends or gambling in the open since then.
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