Between March 2017 and March 2024, the state police checked 3,90,64,523 individuals, issued warnings to 1,44,06,253 and took legal action against 32,077.
“It was a departmental order to form anti-Romeo squads in all police stations. The safety of girls/ladies was the sole intent of the anti-Romeo squads,” Javed Ahmad, the former Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh, under whose tenure the initiative began, told ThePrint.
“We ordered all districts to form such squads. In every police station, a dedicated team of policemen, including both males and females, were allotted duties accordingly.”
State police officials say squad members patrol public spaces and question individuals loitering outside girls’ colleges and hostels, shopping malls and other public places. People found loitering in the same place frequently are noted in police registers and given verbal warnings.
If complaints are filed or people create any disturbance, the squads book them under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), including Section 170, which gives police officers the power to arrest people suspected of planning cognizable offenses without a warrant, and Section 354, which gives police the power to punish anyone who assaults or uses criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty
The BJP first proposed anti-Romeo squads for the “security of women” in its 2017 election manifesto.
Shortly after assuming office, CM Yogi Adityanath ordered officials to form these squads, comprising both male and female officers, to monitor markets, malls, schools, colleges, coaching centres, parks and other crowded places to see if women were being harassed.
According to Uttar Pradesh Police officials, an anti-Romeo squad includes a police sub-inspector with at least two constables, including a woman. The squad patrols universities, colleges, cinema halls, parks and other public places identified as vulnerable for women.
Data shows that anti-Romeo squad activity has surged over the years, with inspections of “vulnerable” spots more than doubling—from 7.97 lakh in 2017 to 53.47 lakh in 2024.
Over the past 7 years, the operations of the squads aimed at ensuring the safety of women, especially young girls, were reportedly marked by some stray cases of harassment of innocent youths amid concerns that it could lead to moral policing.
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Squads faced criticism for its approach
Public response to the ‘anti-Romeo’ squads has been mixed.
While some citizens appreciate the initiative for enhancing women’s safety in public spaces, others have criticised it for moral policing and alleged harassment of innocent individuals.
The anti-Romeo squads have faced sharp criticism from opposition parties and social activists, who condemn their vigilante approach.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Pooja Shukla argues that the squads became tools for fringe groups to police personal relationships.
“When these squads got active in 2017, we noticed that Bajrang Dal workers and some fringe elements were giving tips on inquiring about couples roaming in parks,” said Shukla. “Who are they to interfere in anyone’s privacy? These squads were made only to create fear in the minds of couples, particularly interfaith couples. I feel the BJP is an anti-love party. They only spread hate.”
Roop Rekha Verma, a Lucknow-based social activist and former vice-chancellor of Lucknow University, too, questions the true intent of these squads.
“The name given to these squads was not appropriate. Romeo was not a bad character person. He was a symbol of love. By naming the squads anti-Romeo, you portrayed police as ‘anti-love’ squads,” Verma told ThePrint. “These harassment complaints were also reported by several newspapers, saying that police misbehaved with young couples in many districts. They have harassed brother-sister duo also in the name of anti-Romeo squads.”
Within a few weeks of these squads becoming active in 2017, a brother and sister in Rampur district were harassed and forcefully taken to the police station.
Media reports said the siblings had travelled from their village to Rampur to buy medicines and were sitting on the roadside when two policemen harassed them in the name of the anti-Romeo drive.
The policemen arrested the duo and asked for a Rs 5,000 bribe to let them go even after they proved their relationship.
It wasn’t an isolated incident. Many similar cases were also reported in the early years of the formation of these squads.
In 2020, another brother-sister duo was allegedly beaten by police officials in Pratapgarh while sitting on a ladder at Belha Devi temple.
Media reports say the police demanded to see their Aadhaar cards, and when the pair failed to provide them, the policemen started beating them.
According to Uttar Pradesh sources, following mounting criticism, the state government instructed the anti-Romeo squads to scale back their activities ahead of the 2022 assembly elections. It was expected that the squads would adopt a different approach moving forward.
However, in August 2024, Yogi Adityanath asked officials to reactivate the squads.
During the same meeting, he also directed the police department to prominently display a list of the top 10 criminals in each area at local police stations.
“Anti-Romeo squads are still active in every state district for women’s safety. The squad members conduct checks at different locations and if anyone is found eve-teasing or passing comments on girls. They are issued warnings,” Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Prashant Kumar told ThePrint.
“If someone is a regular offender or not heeding police warnings, only then would he face action under some sections of the BNS.”
Police officials urge to see its positive side
Uttar Pradesh officials urge people to see the positive impact of these squads.
“The impact of these squads is huge. Now issues like eve-teasing, passing comments or stalking a girl outside a college campus are happening rarely,” Senior Superintendent of Police of Gorakhpur Gaurav Grover told ThePrint.
“Earlier it was easy to find boys’ gangs outside girls’ colleges creating chaos, riding bikes at high-speed, passing comments, etc but nowadays such incidents have become rare.”
Grover added that each police station has a team of three or four policemen, including two female cops, who patrol areas near schools and colleges with higher numbers of women.
They are tasked with identifying “eve-teasers and troublemakers”, operating both in uniform and, at times, in plain clothes.
Anukriti Sharma, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Sambhal district, emphasised that the squads primarily issue warnings and offer counselling rather than making arrests.
“These squads have helped eliminate the fear many girls once felt about their safety outside college gates. Now, police officers are regularly stationed at college entrances and market areas,” said Sharma. “These squads do not arrest anyone generally. They first give warnings and also do counselling. So, it is not correct to say that these squads harass couples.”
BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi also stands by the initiative, saying it has been integral to improving law and order in the state.
“UP’s law and order is a success model for other states and it was one of the key reasons behind our party’s success in the 2022 polls. So, those who have criticised anti-Romeo squads were unaware of the results they gave,” Tripathi said.
“In the past, mostly UP college gates and parking areas were addas of eve-teasers and goons who would unnecessarily follow girls and pass bad comments. But once these squads got active, all these people ran away. Now, one cannot dare to do it,” he added.
“So, it was a good decision to form these squads. We promised it in our 2017 manifesto and implemented it. Similarly, we will do the same in Delhi if voted to power.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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