Hyderabad, Sep 19th: Colleges in Andhra Pradesh will now set up grievance cells to receive and address complaints of sexual harassment. Concerned over increasing attacks on girl students by stalkers and spurned lovers, the state government Saturday decided to set up cells in all colleges to receive complaints. There will also be grievance sessions to be held directly by the superintendent of police (SP) of the district. The offices of SPs will also have grievance cells to receive complaints from women. Home Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy also directed the police to register cases of attacks on women and girls under non-bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The home minister, who reviewed the situation with senior officials, also instructed them to register every case of harassment of and attack on girls under section 509 (insult the modesty of a woman by uttering a word or making sound or gesture or exhibiting any object or intruding upon the privacy of the woman) of IPC, along with other relevant sections. The home minister asked superintendents of police to hold grievance sessions in every college under their jurisdiction once every month. The accused will be dealt with through counseling and then there would be a constant watch on his conduct. The decisions came close on the heels of a shocking incident in Rajahmundry in which a stalker injured a 17-year-old girl with a knife and stabbed to death her parents who were trying to protect her.