The Telangana Cop Rescuing Domestic Violence Survivors Amid COVID

The rise in domestic violence cases has motivated her to set up 'Mobile Safety'

Telangana cop.

(Photo Courtesy: Humans of Bombay/Instagram)

Ever since the country went into lockdown in March, there has been a surge in domestic violence cases not just in India, but across the world as well. Survivors are at a higher risk to violence at the moment. In India, it was the National Commission for Women that raised concerns and brought attention to the same. A Telangana police officer has opened up about her experience of helping out such survivors. Her story was shared by the Instagram page Humans of Bombay.

The caption of the post talks about how, just a month into lockdown, a woman from Kanpur called up Mahabubnagar's Superintendent of Police Rema Rajeshwari. She was worried as she had not heard from her sister in 3 days. The woman also revealed that her sister's husband would hit her and she was worried that might happen again.

"So we sent a dispatch team and found her in such a terrible condition, it shook me. She was badly bruised, hadn't had a single drop of water in 3 days and was writhing in pain. We rushed her to the hospital and filed a case against the husband."

Further, the survivor's sister requested if the former could be sent to her home. The Telangana police officer then arranged for all adequate interstate travel passes and ensured that the survivor reaches home safely.

However, it’s this incident that served as an “eye opener” for the cop and motivated her to set up ‘Mobile Safety,’ which is a vehicle with her team members doing the rounds of the city.

Rajeshwari's team has been very proactive. From helping pregnant women reach the hospital in the police ambulance to setting up food banks for migrant workers travelling home on highways, they've been very helpful.

Unfortunately, just a week ago, a majority of Rajeshwari's team members have tested COVID positive. They're currently recovering and in quarantine but looking forward to returning to work soon!