In an innovative move, the police department in Bihar has formed a special squad of women cops to crack down on the loitering Romeos on the streets harassing young girls. The squad, nicknamed “Sherani” (Lioness), includes 30 young recruits who are well versed in martial arts. The squad members, dressed in plain clothes, have been deployed outsides schools, colleges, and coaching centres to nab eve-teasers.

The police in Kaimur district constituted the “Sherani” squad last month following an alarming rise in the incidents of eve-teasing in the region. Loitering Romeos on the streets have been harassing girls on way to schools and colleges. Kaimur reported 42 incidents of eve-teasing and 19 rapes in the past six months, according to an official report.

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“We were prompted to raise the Sherani squad after repeated complaints of eve-teasing. The squad members in plainclothes have now been deployed at all the sensitive pockets of the town,” Kaimur district superintendent of police Dilnawaz Ahmed said on Thursday.

He said the members of the “Sherani” squad, led by an assistant sub-inspector of police Sita Devi, have been adequately trained to tackle eve-teasers. “The objective behind raising the squad is to keep daughters safe,” Ahmed added.

During the trial itself, the “Sherani” squad members proved their utility when they nabbed three eve-teasers in the October end. Reports said although the police department had rushed some male cops in civvies to assist the newly-raised “Sherani” squad members, they themselves tackled the eve-teasers.

The incidents of eve-teasing have become a matter of serious concern in Bihar with girl students in many districts discontinuing studies out of fear of eve-teasers. In August this year, at least 16 members of a family were attacked with acid after they opposed eve-teasing by a group of motorcycle-borne youths in Vaishali district.

Last year in October, 36 girl students from a village in Saharsa district had dropped out of their school owing to harassment by the eve-teasers. Prior to that, 40 girl students from a government school in Supaul district were beaten up with hockey sticks, bamboo logs, and iron chains for opposing eve-teasing. The severely-wounded girls were later admitted to the local hospital for treatment.