What are Punjab Police's 'Saanjh Rahat Kendras' and how are they helping women?

Punjab Police's 'Saanjh Rahat Kendras' have emerged as an important community policing initiative, offering counselling, legal aid, crisis intervention and rehabilitation to women in distress, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Thursday.

Launched initially with two trained counsellors at the 'Saanjh Rahat Kendra' in Mohali, the initiative has now expanded to four districts, with centres operating at civil hospitals in SAS Nagar (Mohali), Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Jalandhar.

Centres register 1,069 cases in past two years

According to the DGP, the centres have registered 1,069 cases and screened 1,656 cases during the past two years. Yadav said the Rahat Kendras provide timely intervention to women facing domestic violence and other forms of abuse, helping them access counselling, shelter, legal assistance and police support.

He said the initiative reflects the Punjab Police's commitment to ensuring women's safety by addressing cases early and preventing further violence. Highlighting the programme's impact, the DGP cited the case of a woman who approached the Mohali Saanjh Rahat Kendra after her husband allegedly assaulted her and threatened her.

The police team ensured her safety, arranged secure transportation, escorted her to her parental home and initiated legal proceedings against the accused. In another case, a pregnant woman abandoned by her husband and family was admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

The 'Saanjh Rahat Kendra' team facilitated her treatment at PGI, where she remained under medical care for nearly two months. After she suffered a miscarriage, the counsellors continued providing emotional support.

Following her recovery, the team helped her secure employment and worked to reconnect her with her family. Apart from the 'Rahat Kendras', Punjab Police has undertaken several programmes focused on women's safety and child protection.

Centres offer counselling, legal aid, shelter

Under the 'Jagriti' programme, Punjab Police 'Mahila Mittars' visited 12,482 schools and sensitised 11,75,010 children in the 6-12 age groups over the past two years. It said during the same period, 76,299 principals, teachers and other school staff members also participated in awareness programmes.

The Women Help Desks initiative has organised 69,329 outreach programmes over the past five years on issues including cybercrime, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, child marriage, juvenile justice, drug abuse and gender sensitisation.

Special Director General of Police (Community Affairs Division) Gurpreet Kaur Deo said the SAANJH ecosystem, launched in 2011, has strengthened the relationship between police and the public through initiatives such as Yuva Saanjh, Jagriti and the Student Police Cadet Scheme.

She said the network of Saanjh Committees across the state has played a key role in promoting community policing. Additionally, the 'Saanjh Rahat Kendras' have filled an important gap by offering integrated counselling, legal support and police assistance to women in need.