'Why can’t women cops have some fun?'

Recently a video of a woman inspector feeding cake to a DMK functionary on his birthday, at Needamangalam in Tiruvarur drew sharp criticism from netizens after it went viral. In April, a policewoman in uniform was caught on camera in a drunken stupor. The video clips, specifically the latter, put the police drive in a spot. But additionally they invited a barrage of abuses targeted at girls police staff basically, appearing how exhausting it's to be a woman in the drive when all eyes are trained at your smallest mistakes.

The query is can’t girls in khaki have a laugh while doing their activity? Shanthi Devi, an inspector in Chennai, says girls officials must exercise self-control in public, but must not be judged through their behavior in their non-public lives. "We don’t have a cushy job, but we take pride in our profession. Of late, videos are being circulated with an aim of tarnishing our image. Some content may be true, but many are being circulated just to shame us in public," she says.

Being strict and uptight at administrative center always, as is often related to law enforcement officials, isn't a healthy option for individuals who spend with reference to 10 hours in the police station a day, she says. "Stations are our first home and people we work with are our family. But even if we are friendly with a colleague, there are people who give it a different spin," she provides.

Talking concerning the cake cutting incident, Devi says, "Every New Year, the police commissioner cuts cake and offers it to his colleagues. Does it mean he is crossing the line? Yes, the woman inspector should have shown some restraint. But we do not know the full story. The video seems to be shot just to malign our image."

Another sub-inspector, who didn't wish to be named, seconds Devi. "At an agitation I tried to help a woman adjust her sari, but the video projected me as trying to disrobe her. We are questioned based on such videos, but has anyone checked their veracity?"

Women staff say, mild moments at administrative center, come as a much wanted reduction, especially when they've to care for numerous other people — from diplomats to politicians to murderers and rapists.

This is why girls in the drive must be sorted neatly, feels retired IAS officer V S Chandralekha. "They are deputed on long bundobust duties, where they don’t have proper toilet facilities," she says. "Not that it is easy for men. But my point is why doesn’t social media highlight the positive aspects of their jobs? Any job after a point is boring but women cops strive hard to make the smallest of things interesting in their life. Let’s salute them for their patience."

And acts of integrity are both ignored or misinterpreted, say others. "During my initial days, I was posted at the Abhiramapuram police station in Chennai. A member of a Dravidian party paid me a visit and putting his hand over my shoulder said my life will be smooth if I cooperated with them like my predecessor. I told him that I am not going to do any such thing. I think it’s high time the media stopped showing unrealistic portrayals of us," says the sub-inspector.

Retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi says, "Perhaps people expect women cops to be different on certain patterns of public behaviour. They obviously have a set of perceptions which have been one-sided for long, but these perceptions will continue to stay for long, be it right or wrong."