Following a spate of alarming crimes, Bihar Police has mandated stringent security protocols for girls’ hostels and paying guest lodges statewide. Announced from Patna headquarters, these rules target the vulnerabilities exposed in student housing, ensuring a fortified shield for young women pursuing academics away from home.
The February 4 circular from specialized police wings reached every district SP, emphasizing the linkage between secure habitats and gender equality enshrined in the Constitution. With families entrusting daughters to distant hostels for college, recent events have heightened parental fears, necessitating this overhaul.
Registration is now obligatory at the nearest thana for all such facilities. Women’s help desks will oversee a detailed ledger logging property specs, proprietors, and operations.
Female wardens must be on-site 24/7, backed by fully vetted personnel across roles. No exceptions on background checks.
Tech-driven surveillance dominates: CCTV with voice capture across critical zones, 30-day retention mandatory. Brilliance in lighting, fortified entries with latch mechanisms, tamper-proof locks, and barred windows form the physical bulwark. Conformance to construction norms for space and numbers, plus impeccable sanitation, rounds out basics.
Strangers log in meticulously; living quarters remain male-free zones. Designated lounges handle visits. Biometrics enforce attendance logs post-sunset.
Walls will bear helplines: thana numbers, help desks, Abhaya patrols, 112. App training on distress signals empowers residents. Instant reporting chains link wardens to guardians and law enforcers.
Oversight teams of SHOs, desks, and brigades will audit compliance routinely. Brigade’s foot patrols daily engage students, funneling grievances policeward. Violations trigger prompt prosecutions. Bihar’s daughters can now study with renewed confidence under this vigilant regime.
