Women police team on cycling expedition felicitated in Virudhunagar

The role of women in State administration, including policing, was appreciated by Virudhunagar Collector V.P. Jayaseelan and Superintendent of Police R. Srinivasa Perumal.

The role of women in State administration, including policing, was appreciated by Virudhunagar Collector V.P. Jayaseelan and Superintendent of Police R. Srinivasa Perumal.

They were felicitating a 109-member women police contingent which has taken out a long cycling expedition from Chennai to Kanniyakumari to mark the golden jubilee year of inducting women into Tamil Nadu police.

The Collector said that the women, who were initially taking care of lighter jobs, were now performing well even in tougher areas. He said that their presence was in all departments.

The SP said that women were inducted into the State police in 1973 by the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. “Initially, they were put in soft jobs like receptions in the police stations. But, now the women workforce has grown manifold so much so that they are now part of bodyguard squad,” he said. The women workforce has become indispensable they occupying 20% of the posts in the police force, he said.

The SP also appreciated the cycling squad leader Inspector Rajeswari, who was noticed by the State administration for her bravery in saving a man caught among debris during Chennai flood.

The cycling team began their expedition in Chennai on March 17 and is scheduled to reach Kanniyakumari on March 27. Sixty-five women would pedal on alternate days.