By Arré Bench Aug. 07, 2020
Rema Rajeshwari, the SP in Mahabubnagar, Telangana, set up a mobile safety vehicle to check in with survivors of domestic violence, regardless of whether they had approached the police or not.
An Indian Police Services officer in Telangana is another individual to join the ranks of Covid heroes after her mission to safeguard domestic abuse survivors and stranded migrant labourers. Rema Rajeshwari, the Superintendent of Police in Mahabubnagar, Telangana, has been looking out for the needy during the lockdown, even setting up a mobile safety vehicle that would routinely check in on the welfare of domestic violence survivors. SP Rajeshwari’s selfless mission attracted much praise on the internet after her story was published on the social media handles of the blog Humans of Bombay.
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In the post that catapulted her to internet fame, SP Rajeshwari said that it was a routine check carried out on a domestic abuse survivor that opened her eyes. When the survivor’s sister called the police expressing concern, SP Rajeshwari found the survivor in a badly bruised and beaten state at her home that she shared with her husband. “That incident was an eye opener – there were so many victims of domestic violence living with their abusers and they couldn’t even file a complaint!” said Rajeshwari.
An Indian Police Services officer posted in Telangana has opened up about her experience of helping survivors of domestic abuse and migrant families amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown. #DaughtersCan #SheCanToo @ndtv https://t.co/mA3UhKmHxp
— Save Our Vanishing Girls (@Vanishing_Girls) August 7, 2020
Rajeshwari then set up a “Mobile Safety” vehicle, which did the rounds of two districts and checked in with survivors of domestic violence, regardless of whether they had approached the police or not.
During the lockdown, the number of domestic abuse cases have gone up. Between March 25 and May 31, 1,477 complaints of domestic violence were made by women but this is only the tip of the iceberg. However, 86 per cent women who experience domestic violence do not seek help in India.
And Rajeshwari comes to the rescue of these women who can’t always reach out for help.
India’s National Commission for Women sees a spike in domestic violence complaints during Coronavirus lockdownhttps://t.co/EvMrZlUEGL
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 2, 2020
In addition to looking out for their welfare, Rajeshwari also extended whatever aid she could to the migrant labourers from other states who were stranded in Telangana. Rajeshwari’s teams of officers set up food banks along the highways to cater to the needs of the migrants who were walking for hundreds if not thousands of kilometres to return to their home states.
Meet The Police Officer Helping Victims Of Domestic Abuse Amid Pandemic https://t.co/4e92ZBXsGp An Indian Police Services officer posted in Telangana has opened up about her experience of helping victims of domestic abuse and migrant families amid the coronavirus-induced lockdo…
— Rihan Singhania (@RihanSinghania3) August 7, 2020
The widespread negativity in the news cycle can become tedious to an observer, and stories full of humanity and positivity like SP Rajeshwari’s are a welcome break from the norm.
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