Delhi Police’s “anti-eve teasing” or “Shishtachar” (etiquette) squads will soon be doing the rounds of public places across the city, to ensure women’s safety. The squads have been asked to “focus on enforcing the law, rather than imposing personal or cultural morality on individuals”. The Delhi Police move is an attempt to curb crimes against women, including “eve-teasing”, a phrase often used to describe harassment of women..

In its manifesto for the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025, the BJP promised the deployment of “Anti-Romeo Squads” in all public spaces and a network of CCTV cameras across Delhi to ensure safety and security.

“These squads will comprise trained personnel, who shall focus on preventing, deterring, and responding to such offences on a real-time basis,” read an order undersigned by Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of Police, on March 8.

Each district will have at least two anti-harassment squads headed by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) from the district’s Crime Against Women Cell.