Amid reports of cops in Uttar Pradesh resorting to moral policing in the name of ‘anti-Romeo’ drive initiated by the Yogi Adityanath-led government, three policemen were on Saturday suspended for detaining a young couple at a Ghaziabad park.
The couple are reportedly taken to a police station where no woman police personnel was present, which is mandatory to take a woman into custody.
The incident comes widespread criticism of a section of police who are accused of harassing young boys and girls in the name of the ‘anti-Romeo’ drive, which has been initiated as a crackdown on people harassing women in public places.
Annoyed over such incidents, Yogi Adityanath had warned the senior officials that strict action would be taken if such cases are not contained. He has also warned police not to harass consenting young men and women found together.
According to a Hindustan Times report, police said that the couple, presumed to be college students, was spotted at Ambedkar Park in Navyug market. The cops askd them to verify their credentials and later took them in a PCR van to Kotwali police station.
“The PCR van had no women personnel deployed. A video shot by some passerby also went viral and senior superintendent of police ordered suspension after the incident came to his knowledge,” Ranvir Singh, spokesperson for SSP Deepak Kumar, was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying.
Those suspended were identified as head constable Mehtab and constables Dilip Kumar and Pankaj Kumar.
