The Tamilnadu Governments introduced All Women Police Station (AWPS) in 1973 so that the crimes against women are handled sensitively and effectively. As of present there are 196 All-Women Police Stations in the State. The Government claims that this is a big step towards rendering justice to women victims. But in reality All Women Police Stations are just another police stations. The only visible difference is– these stations are ’manned’ by women.

In Madurai, when AIPWA was formed and began pursuing women’s issues, it had shocking experiences on most occasions it visited the AWPS representing women victims. It found that AWPS is taking male chauvinistic position and we had to fight a lot.

In February this year, a woman from a village near Vadipatti approached us. Her daughter, aged around 15, had been cheated by a young man promising to marry her. The young man had abused her. The mother of the girl asked for help. We took the case to Samyanallur AWPS on 14^th of Feruary. The accused came to the police station along with his father and a lawyer. They took the usual position, said that the girl is immoral and denied to marry her. The AWPS took the position of the accused and asked for the record of her age. The AWPS went to the extent of arguing that ’the young man is adolescent and the girl is major and had kidnapped the boy’. Also they said ’the girl’s moral character is highly doubtful and they cannot support the one who went with a boy for pleasure.’ The police further argued that sincce the boy is a minor they cannot arrest him. Also they threatened the girl that she has to live in juvenile home if she perused the case. The AWPS denied receiving our arguments and let the man out after getting an undertaking from his father.

The particular village is well known for ’Kangaroo Panchyat’. They told us that they once settled these kinds of claims by paying Rs.5/-. Now the rate is Rs.10,000. They were ready to pay the girl Rs.50,000. They wondered how come on earth one little girl is ready to take the man to police !

We produced medical evidence of the girl who was found pregnant and asked to register a case, arrest the man and arrange for a DNA test. The AWPS told us that the girl should bear the child and after delivery the DNA test will be conducted.

We approached the DSP and forced the AWPS to file an FIR (9^th March). Even then the man was not arrested. We then approached the SP who ordered an immediate arrest of the culprit… but nothing happened. After this we decided to go to the people’s court and organized meetings in villages, explained the case to villagers and mobilised them for public protest in Madurai on 3^rd of April. The police initially denied us permission but we were adamant on holding the protest. Hundreds of women marched to Madurai, demanded arrest of the culprit and action against the erring AWPS. This particular AWPS is just an example ; most of other AWPSs too are as insensitive and patriarchal as All Men Police Stations. We demanded that the AWPSs should be brought under the vigilance of Women Organizations and the personnel of AWPSs should be made to undergo Gender Education. The meeting was addressed by Com. Usha (AIPWA) and Com. Mathivanan, District leader of CPI(ML).

We approached the High Court (Madurai Bench) also where a case was filed by the mother. The Police and the Government sided with the erring AWPS and manufactured a medical record of the girl stating that the age of the girl is 21 ! Fortunately the Judge denied to accept it and said that going by the physical features and body language the victim should be at most 16 years old and asked the police to fetch records from her school. The school record that was produced proved that the age of the girl is just 16. The Judge ordered medical examination of the girl and finally ordered to carry out abortion and protection of the foetus for future DNA test. The girl was admitted and the pregnancy terminated as per court order. The Judge expressed strong views against the concerned women police personnel. Still the case is pending before the court. Arrest of the culprit and transfer of the case to CBCID are still pending. AWPS now considers us-AIPWA- as their enemy. However, we are receiving several requests for help from women in different corners of the State, including even from police personnel and government staff.