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Meet Bhavani Banu, the 13-yr-old Police Chief

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Neha Seth
New Update

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Bhavani Banu, a 13-year-old ninth grader was given a glorious moment by NGO Plan International when it gave her the opportunity of taking over as the chief of Musheerabad police station in Hyderabad for a day. Banu was part of 25 girls all over the world who got to helm important posts in governing bodies #GirlsTakeOver.

Banu is the youngest of four sisters and is well aware of the problems her elder sisters face. So she used the day as police chief to discuss and identify the problems girls and women are facing in India today.

In a quote to CNN, she stated, “I wanted to give them (the police) some tips."

When stopping crimes against girls, or rescuing them, the police need to be sensitive. "It's not just police -- the entire rehabilitation system needs to be re-orientated."

"Many times the police themselves request parents to not file a complaint, citing reasons of stigma," Banu added.

The reality of our present day society is clearly reflected in the fact that of the 95 members among her staff, only 6 were female officers. Banu pointed out, "I wanted to show that there is a requirement for women in such workplaces."

Such a trend (of fewer women cops compared to men) is common across India. Shethepeople.tv spoke to an officer in Kolkata on the issue. “It is indeed true that we have very few women working for the force even today. When our station was established, there were two female officers, now we have 4, still the number of male officers is much higher than women,” said officer R.K. Roy of Hidco police station, Kolkata.

Hope Banu's effort bears fruit and more women join the force to make India a safer place to live in.

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