Women constitute only around 6% of total strength of J&K Police: MoS Home

Srinagar, Dec 04: Women constitute only around 6% of the total strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and poor percentage is notwithstanding repeated thrust of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on ensuring 33% representation.

This was disclosed by Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in response to a question about women personnel in police forces in the States and Union Territories in the Lok Sabha today, daily Excelsior reported.

As per the data on police organizations compiled by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs and shared by the Minister of State with the Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, Jammu and Kashmir Police is having only 4370 women personnel (Civil + District Armed Reserve + Armed + IRB). In the police force of Union Territory of Ladakh, the strength of women personnel is 777 as on January 1, 2023.

As per the website of Jammu and Kashmir Police the total strength of the force is 83000 as such women constitute only around 6% of the total personnel in JKP.

In response to a question about the steps taken by the Government to increase the representation of women in police forces particularly in leadership positions and whether any special recruitment drives have been launched to encourage women to join police forces, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs said, “police is a State subject falling in List-II (State List) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India and it is primarily the responsibility of the State/UT Governments to recruit more women police personnel”.

Stating that Centre also issues advisories to the States/UTs for increasing number of women in the police forces, the Minister informed the Parliament that Ministry of Home Affairs issued advisories dated 22.04.2013, 21.05.2014, 12.05.2015, 21.06.2019, 22.06.2021, 13.04.2022, 27.04.2023 and 05.12.2023 to all the States/UT administrations to increase the representation of women police to 33% of the total strength.

“All the State Governments/UTs administrations have been requested to create additional posts of women constables/Sub-Inspectors by converting the vacant posts of constables/Sub-Inspectors”, he said, adding “the aim is that each Police Station should have at least 3 women Sub-Inspectors and 10 women police constables so that a women help desk is manned round the clock”.

Responding to another question, the Minister said, “police being a State subject, the details of recruitment of women police personnel in the States/UTs is not maintained centrally”.

Meanwhile, as per the sources in Jammu and Kashmir Police, the number of women personnel will go up considerably in the coming years in the light of announcement of 15% reservation for women in the non-gazetted posts in the Jammu and Kashmir Police made by the Lieutenant Governor with the aim to further strengthen women empowerment in the Union Territory.

While making announcement on January 24, 2022, the Lieutenant Governor had stated that 15% reservation is just the beginning and the Government is determined and committed to increase it further in the future.

“The step of 15% reservation for women in JKP will give due representation to women in Police force and will ensure the availability of sufficient women personnel to engage exclusively in the matter of gender-based crimes. The move will lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable society”, the Lieutenant Governor had stated.

It is pertinent to mention here that despite several assurances before 2019, the matter of reservation for women in J&K Police was never addressed and the Lieutenant Governor’s announcement paved the way for increasing the strength of women in Jammu and Kashmir Police.