Punjab Police expands Saanjh Rahat Kendras across four districts

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

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

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

He said the initiative reflects the Punjab Police’s commitment to women’s safety by addressing cases at an early stage and preventing further violence.

Highlighting the programme’s impact, the DGP referred to 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 who had been abandoned by her husband and family was admitted to 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, counsellors continued to provide 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 launched several programmes focused on women’s safety and child protection.

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. During the same period, 76,299 principals, teachers and other school staff also took part 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 Gurpreet Kaur Deo said the SAANJH ecosystem, launched in 2011, has strengthened ties between the 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 an important role in promoting community policing. She added that the Saanjh Rahat Kendras have addressed a critical gap by providing integrated counselling, legal support and police assistance to women in need.