Police launch 'Operation Romeo' in Meerut

Close on the heels of Yogi Adityanath taking charge as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, police have started an 'anti-Romeo' drive to curb incidents of sexual harassment across the district.
According to Inspector General of Police, Meerut zone, Ajay Anand, anti-Romeo squads have been formed on the directives of the chief minister.
Each police station in the districts under the zone has formed a squad comprising one SI, three constables and a woman constable, he said.
The squads will carry out the 'Operation Romeo' outside colleges and their functioning will be monitored by the city SP, Anand said.
While campaigning in the state, BJP President Amit Shah had said that the BJP, if voted to power, would form anti-Romeo squads to check instances of sexual harassment of women.

SP (city) Alok Priyadarshi said that the drive was meant to create an atmosphere of security for the women.

Hotels "with a bad reputation" across the city have also found themselves on the receiving end of the drive with officials conducting raids at various such establishments.
In one such raid at a hotel in Sadar Bazar area here, policemen found a hookah bar which they promptly shut down.
Bottles of hookah flavours found there would be sent for "forensic tests", police said, adding that youths were being intoxicated through the flavours.
It is not immediately clear how the seizure fell under the purview of the anti-Romeo drive.