Gujarat Police launches 28-day Surakshit Shakti drive for women's safety
Synopsis
Gujarat Police's 28-day 'Surakshit Shakti' drive stands out not just for its scope — covering digital threats like deepfakes and sextortion alongside street-level patrolling — but for its KPI-based evaluation, where 40 per cent of performance scores hinge on measurable crime-reduction outcomes. It is a rare instance of a state police force building in accountability metrics from day one.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat Police launched the 28-day 'Surakshit Shakti' drive on 17 August to strengthen safety for women and girls statewide.
The campaign was mandated by Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and is supervised by DGP G.S.
Digital safety education covers cyberbullying, online grooming, sextortion, deepfakes, OTP fraud , and QR-code scams.
Emergency helplines 181 , 112 , and 1930 and One Stop Centres are being actively promoted to women.
40 per cent of the KPI evaluation weightage is tied to measurable improvements in crime-related indicators.
Schools, colleges, NCC , NSS , and NGOs are being enrolled as campaign partners to expand community reach.
Gujarat Police launched a 28-day statewide 'Surakshit Shakti' campaign on 17 August to bolster the safety of women and girls across the state, combining preventive policing, digital threat awareness, victim support, community outreach, and a performance-based monitoring framework. The drive marks one of the most structured women's safety initiatives undertaken by the state police in recent years.
Mandate and Leadership
The campaign follows a directive from Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who stated that 'there should be no compromise on the safety of women and children and that all necessary measures should be taken to prevent crimes against them.' It operates under the supervision of Director General of Police (DGP) G.S. Malik and is led on the ground by Director General of Police (CID Crime and Railways) K.L.N. Rao.
The initiative is structured around four pillars: prevention and protection, awareness and empowerment, support and enforcement, and long-term sustainability.
Digital Safety at the Core
Additional Director General of Police (CID Crime, Women Cell) Ajay Choudhary said the campaign places heavy emphasis on educating women and girls about emerging online threats. 'A major focus of the campaign is awareness and digital safety. The police will educate women and girls about emerging online threats such as cyberbullying, online grooming, sextortion, deepfakes, OTP fraud and QR-code scams,' Choudhary said.
Women will also be familiarised with emergency helplines — 181, 112, and 1930 — as well as One Stop Centres, and will be encouraged to develop self-defence skills and understand their legal rights.
Community Participation and Visible Policing
Schools, colleges, non-governmental organisations, NCC, NSS, and community groups are being integrated into the drive to broaden its reach. Safety pledges, community meetings, and self-defence programmes are among the planned activities.
Police units have been directed to identify vulnerable areas, intensify patrolling, and deploy body-worn cameras and other technological tools to strengthen accountability and evidence collection. The campaign also stresses a victim-centric approach in handling complaints, with mandatory follow-up on cases, coordination with One Stop Centres, and timely assistance to survivors.
KPI-Based Performance Evaluation
A key differentiator of the 'Surakshit Shakti' drive is its evidence-based assessment mechanism. 'We have proposed evidence-based policing and measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness of the initiative,' said Choudhary.
According to the police, 40 per cent weightage in the evaluation framework has been assigned to improvements in crime-related indicators, while public feedback, police response time, and adoption of best practices will account for the remainder. Results will be made measurable, verifiable, and comparable across police units statewide.
With the 28-day window set to run its course, how effectively the KPI framework translates intent into outcomes — and whether it prompts lasting structural changes in how Gujarat Police handles crimes against women — will determine the drive's real legacy.
Point of View
A mechanism rarely enforced in practice. The inclusion of digital threats like deepfakes and sextortion reflects a belated but necessary acknowledgement that crimes against women have migrated online at scale. The harder question is whether the 28-day window generates lasting institutional change or functions primarily as a visibility exercise. Past campaigns of this type have rarely produced published outcome data; whether Gujarat Police follows through with transparent KPI reporting will be the true test of this initiative's credibility.
NationPress
17 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Gujarat Police 'Surakshit Shakti' drive?
'Surakshit Shakti' is a 28-day statewide campaign launched by Gujarat Police on 17 August to strengthen safety for women and girls. It combines preventive policing, digital safety awareness, victim support, community participation, and a KPI-based performance evaluation system.
Who is leading the Surakshit Shakti campaign?
The drive operates under the supervision of DGP G.S. Malik and is led by DGP (CID Crime and Railways) K.L.N. Rao. It was mandated by Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
What digital threats does the campaign address?
The campaign educates women and girls about cyberbullying, online grooming, sextortion, deepfakes, OTP fraud, and QR-code scams. Digital safety is one of the drive's four core pillars.
How will the campaign's effectiveness be measured?
Gujarat Police has built a KPI-based evaluation framework in which 40 per cent of the performance score is tied to measurable improvements in crime-related indicators. Public feedback, police response, and adoption of best practices make up the rest.
Which helplines and support services are being promoted under the drive?
Women are being directed to emergency helplines 181, 112, and 1930, as well as One Stop Centres. The campaign also encourages self-defence training and awareness of legal rights.
