Mumbai: After a young couple was harassed by police and forced to pay a fine for “indecent behaviour,” on the grounds that it was a directive from Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, Mumbai Police have issued a clarification that no such order has been issued.
A press statement released by Mumbai Police stated that the police had no intention of acting as moral police and that its main focus was to ensure that anti-harassment squads are in place for the safety of women in Mumbai.
The statement emphasised that no such circular was issued by the police commissioner and stated, “Anti-eve teasing squads have been formed for the safety of women/girls at crowded places and especially during the festival season of Ganesh Utsava, Navratri, etc.
“These squads have been mandated to concentrate on eve-teasing and also to refrain from indulging in any kind of moral policing. It is again reiterated that Mumbai Police is firm in its stand that it will not act as moral police.”
The police reacted sharply following news reports of a city couple, Cheryl Godinho, 25, and Runcil Rebello, 24, who were detained outside Oberoi Mall in suburban Goregaon (East) by plainclothes officers when they were seen sitting and chatting on a bench — with Cheryl’s arm around Runcil’s waist.
The couple had posted on social media about how the cops appeared from nowhere and asked them to accompany them to Dindoshi police station. When Cheryl asked who they there, she was told they were from the police and that there was a complaint against the couple for behaving indecently in a public place.
They were taken in a police van to the police station where they met another couple who had been detained in a similar manner. The police told them to pay a fine of Rs1,200 (Dh72) and had no answer when Cheryl asked what kind of “indecent behaviour” they were indulging in.
They were however told that it was a new directive from the police commissioner’s office to crack down on indecent behaviour in public places.
The news of how the police engaging in moral policing all over again caused an outrage across the city, on how people could be harassed at the hands of the police.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Maria said instructions had been issued to all police units across Mumbai not to act as moral police. He said all deputy commissioners and senior inspectors had been instructed to closely monitor their teams on patrol.
Mumbai Police were also conduction a workshop on Thursday to sensitise and train all anti-harassment squads was.