- Commissioner Sumathi stood alone at a bus stop past midnight to assess women's safety.
- Nearly 40 men approached her within three hours, many appearing drunk or under ganja influence.
- The men were unaware they were speaking to a senior police officer during the exercise.
In a bold and unusual field exercise, Commissioner of Police of Malkajgiri, Hyderabad, Sumathi stood alone on the city streets past midnight to understand the safety challenges women face on city streets.
Dressed as an ordinary woman and without police presence, she remained at the bus stop between 12:30 AM and 3:30 AM.
What followed revealed a disturbing picture. Within three hours, nearly 40 men approached her, many appearing drunk and some suspected to be under the influence of ganja.
The men, mostly young and including students and employees, were unaware that they were speaking to a senior police officer.
Officials said the exercise was aimed at understanding real ground conditions rather than relying only on complaints or reports. Following the operation, the individuals involved were identified. Instead of immediately filing cases, police called them for counselling sessions and issued strict warnings about their behaviour towards women in public places. Now the move has been widely appreciated by residents, particularly women.
This is not the first time Sumathi has taken such a step. Around 25 years ago, during her early career as a Deputy Superintendent of police near Kazipet railway station, she conducted a similar operation to assess women's safety firsthand.
A senior IPS officer of the Telangana cadre, Sumathi has also served as the Chief of the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) and before being appointed as Commissioner of Police, Malkajgieu, she played a crucial role in the surrender of several top Maoists led by Devuji and others.
She later took charge as the Commissioner of Police, Malkajgiri on May 1.
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