Rani Chennamma squads of city police train working women, students at PGs and hostels in self defence

The police conducting a workshop on self defence at a ladies’ PG in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Following the brutal murder of a 24-year-old young woman at a paying guest accommodation in Koramangala recently, the Rani Chennamma Squad, a team of highly-trained women police personnel, is now imparting self-defence training to women in PGs and students in hostels since last week.

“The sessions include self-defence techniques, dos and don’ts to protect themselves, and awareness about laws related to crimes against women and children. These workshops have been designed to be interactive and the activities are based on engagement,” said V. J. Sajeeth, DCP (North-East), Bengaluru.

“For instance, in the Koramangala PG murder case, the CCTV footage shows the victim screaming for help and three other women inmates of the PG accommodation watching, scared and helpless. If they had known some self-defence techniques and come to her aid, maybe she would have survived,” said a senior official from the Chennamma Squad. 

Neutralising the opponent

Self-defence techniques being taught to working women and students at these ‘Safe and Strong’ workshops, involve women making a surprise attack and neutralising the opponent when the victims face danger and get enough time to escape to safety, a police official said. These sessions boost the confidence of the women and also help bridge the gap between the police and the women and students. 

Differentiating between good touch and bad touch

Meanwhile, workshops being done for school and college students have modules on differentiating between good touch and bad touch. For instance, students are asked to draw a ‘circle of trust’ and list out people they can trust to be put within the circle. Through role-playing and storytelling, children learn to identify inappropriate behavior and understand that they should speak up and seek help, a police officer said.