Chandigarh, July 11
Punjab Police’s Women Help Desks have handled over 2.31 lakh complaints related to crimes against women and children, highlighting the growing trust in the state’s gender-sensitive policing initiatives, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Saturday.
Women Help Desks have been established in all 424 police stations, including 39 Special Purpose Police Stations, with 848 Punjab Police Mahila Mittars (PPMMs) deployed to provide dedicated assistance to women, children and senior citizens.
According to official data, 2,31,677 complaints have been registered through these help desks. Additionally, the Punjab Grievance Disposal (PGD) Portal received 1,33,152 complaints related to crimes against women and children between January 1, 2023, and June 30, 2026. Of these, 99,692 complaints (74.8%) were assigned to and handled by Mahila Mittars.
To further strengthen the initiative, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has approved 93 electric scooters for women police personnel working under the Mahila Mittar initiative and Women Help Desks. The scooters were recently flagged off by DGP Gaurav Yadav to improve outreach and ensure quicker response to complaints from women and children.
DGP Yadav said the Women Help Desks have made police stations more approachable for women by improving accessibility, promoting gender-sensitive policing and enabling timely intervention in cases involving vulnerable sections of society. The Mahila Mittar Project, launched in 2021, was introduced to create a more empathetic and victim-centric system after complaints involving women and children were traditionally handled by male police personnel.
Punjab Police also operates 10 Women Police Stations and 15 Women Cells, providing specialised support, counselling, legal guidance and confidential assistance to victims of gender-based crimes. Senior Director General of Police (Community and Women Affairs) Gurpreet Deo said the Women Help Desks have helped bridge the gap between the police and the community by giving victims confidence that their complaints will be handled by trained and empathetic women officers.
Punjab Police has also partnered with J-PAL and Hartek Foundation to assess the effectiveness and impact of the Women Help Desks across the state.
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