Mumbai: The Mumbai police has assured the Bombay High Court that it has taken appropriate steps and measures to ensure the safety of the girl students attending the Girls College in Matunga East, which is abutting slums, after concerns were raised over their safety.
The police filed the affidavit in a petition by Gujarati Kelavani Mandal, an educational charitable trust, raising safety concerns of its girl students following construction of a foot-over bridge near the college.
The plea, filed through advocate Mihir Desai, highlighted the need for additional safety measures required near the school premises, citing its proximity to slums and possibilities of mischief. The institute also expressed fear that students could be targeted at the nearby footover bridge.
State’s advocate Vikrant Parshurami submitted a police affidavit stating the steps taken by it including deployment of beat marshals, mobile vans for surveillance as well designated beat marshals for the college.
The affidavit stated the Matunga Police Station as well as the State government “is committed to taking all measures to prevent crimes against Women and has time and again been taking various measures to prevent such crimes”.
“The Beat Marshalls and Mobile Vans cover the entire area where the institutions run by the Petitioners are located, in the manner mentioned above, specifically during the College/school timings of the institutions run by the Petitioners,” the affidavit added.
Additionally, one or two constables will be designated to make a round of the college and school (institutions run by the Petitioners) during the school opening and closing timings to avert any untoward incident, in addition to patrolling and surveillance schedule already in place. “I say that such additional patrolling and surveillance can be and will be carried out considering this to be a special case,” the affidavit underlined.
Following the police affidavit, a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar disposed of the petition following the police assurance but warned that “any laxity on the part of the authorities in this regard may be viewed seriously by the Court”.
“In view of the aforesaid statements made by the Senior Police Inspector in the affidavit referred to hereinabove, we dispose of this writ petition with a direction to the police authorities concerned to take all appropriate steps and measures including measures as mentioned in the additional affidavit for ensuring the safety and security of the girl students in the area. Any laxity on the part of the authorities in this regard maybe viewed seriously by the Court,” the bench said.