Kolkata Police has placed the Durga Suraksha Squad under the supervision of senior women officers and introduced a GPS-linked response system for women’s safety complaints during Durga Puja, according to a revised police order reported by Sanmarg – Kolkata.
Under the new arrangement, a woman facing a problem during the festival can call 112. The police control room will then use GPS tracking to identify the nearest Durga Suraksha Squad motorcycle team and direct its personnel to the location. The system is intended to shorten response times in crowded areas and other public spaces during the celebrations.
Deputy Commissioner, Detective Department (Special), Shailaja Das, will have overall supervision of the squad, according to the report. The revised structure also connects the motorcycle teams directly with the control room, allowing the police to activate the nearest available unit after receiving information through the emergency number.
For minor or routine complaints, the motorcycle team will try to resolve the issue at the spot. If a complaint is serious, the team will immediately inform the officer-in-charge of the relevant police station and other senior officials. Police personnel will then be required to reach the location as needed and ensure further action.
Team A of the Durga Suraksha Squad will include 99 women constables assigned to motorcycle patrols. Of these, 62 will be deployed from the A-1 unit at the Police Training School barracks and 37 from the A-2 unit at the Rajdanga barracks. Team B will have 48 women constables patrolling from pink booths and four-wheel vehicles.
The deployment instructions were issued during a video conference held before Durga Puja. Officers and squad members were briefed on their responsibilities, with particular emphasis on responding quickly to complaints involving women, reaching the location and informing the local police station when necessary.
The arrangement places the control room at the centre of festival-period policing. Instead of relying only on a complainant to identify the nearest police station or patrol unit, the reported system is designed to match the emergency call with the location of mobile teams already operating in the city. Its effectiveness will depend on the availability and movement of the teams, the accuracy of location tracking and the speed with which control-room instructions are acted upon.
The revised deployment comes as Kolkata prepares for the annual festival, when large crowds gather around pandals, roads, markets and transport-linked public areas. The police have stated that the immediate objective is to provide women with faster access to assistance and reduce response times for safety-related complaints during the celebrations.
