Sushmita Dev
Sushmita Dev (File Image)

The president of All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) Sushmita Dev on Friday criticised the Centre for sanctioning Rs 100 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund to set up women help desk in police stations.

The former Lok Sabha MP from Silchar, Assam, called the Centre’s move as “a cosmetic superficial gimmick”.

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In a tweet, Sushmita Dev said, “Will the rape victims make it alive to the help desk? Two incidents of burning them tell us otherwise.”

“What kind of cosmetic superficial gimmick is this”, the tweet added.

The women help desks would have lady police officers, lawyers, psychologists and officials of NGOs.

Apart from providing protection to women, the help desks will also provide them legal aid, counselling, shelter, rehabilitation among others.

The home ministry’s move to make police stations more women-friendly comes after the recent incident of the brutal gang rape and murder of a young lady veterinarian in Hyderabad.