Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal launches 100 Kalika Patrolling Units in Jaipur
Synopsis
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma launched 100 Kalika Patrolling Units in Jaipur on 18 October 2026, announcing that 65 Anti Romeo Squads are already active across Rajasthan to prevent public harassment of women.
Key Takeaways
100 Kalika Patrolling Units were officially launched in Jaipur on 18 October 2026 .
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma addressed the inauguration and dialogue programme for the new units.
65 Anti Romeo Squads are already operational across Rajasthan to prevent eve-teasing and harassment in public spaces.
Both initiatives fall under Rajasthan Police and are aimed specifically at women's safety in public areas.
The launch is tagged under #आपणो_अग्रणी_राजस्थान , part of the Sharma government's law-and-order branding since December 2023.
Operational performance data on incident reduction will be key to assessing the real impact of both programmes.
A hundred new all-women patrolling units hit the streets of Rajasthan on Sunday, 18 October 2026 — and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma used the occasion to remind the state that the fight against street harassment runs deeper than just this launch. Addressing the inauguration and dialogue programme for the 100 Kalika Patrolling Units in Jaipur, Sharma disclosed that 65 Anti Romeo Squads are already operational across Rajasthan, working to stamp out eve-teasing and harassment in public spaces.
What the Kalika units are and why they matter
The Kalika Patrolling Units are a freshly launched initiative under Rajasthan Police, designed to provide visible, responsive patrolling in public areas where women face the greatest risk of harassment. The name itself — Kalika — carries an assertive, protective resonance. Sharma, addressing the launch event, framed the units as a direct extension of the state's existing safety architecture rather than a standalone measure.
Speaking at the programme, the Chief Minister said the government is already running 65 Anti Romeo Squads in the state — units whose mandate is the prevention of chherchhad (harassment) and eve-teasing in public places. Together, the two mechanisms signal a layered approach: Anti Romeo Squads for rapid response and deterrence, Kalika units for sustained, community-level patrol presence.
Anti Romeo Squads: Rajasthan's existing deterrence architecture
Anti Romeo Squads are not new to India — several BJP-governed states, most notably Uttar Pradesh, deployed them prominently in the late 2010s. Rajasthan's decision to run 65 such squads alongside the new Kalika units reflects a broader state-level pattern of using specialised police formations to address street safety, particularly for women in urban and peri-urban areas. The emphasis on visible patrolling is deliberate: the presence itself is meant to deter.
Chief Minister Sharma, in office since December 2023, has positioned law-and-order strengthening as a core governance priority for his administration. Sunday's launch, tagged under the hashtag #आपणो_अग्रणी_राजस्थान ('Our Leading Rajasthan'), fits squarely within that framing.
Operational rollout: the numbers that now need results
With 100 Kalika units now inaugurated and 65 Anti Romeo Squads active, the scale of the combined deployment is significant on paper. What will matter in the months ahead is whether these formations translate into measurable reductions in reported harassment incidents — and whether the state government publishes performance data to back the initiative's ambitions.
For now, Rajasthan has placed a visible bet on patrol density and specialist squads as the primary tools for making public spaces safer for women. The kicker is simple: the units are on the streets. Whether they deliver safety or symbolism will be decided by data, not declarations.
Point of View
Reinforcing a governance identity built around visible policing and women's safety — themes that resonate strongly with the BJP's electoral base. The simultaneous disclosure of 65 active Anti Romeo Squads suggests the government is keen to present a layered, already-functioning safety ecosystem rather than a single new measure. Historically, such specialist squad deployments across Indian states have had mixed outcomes: high on optics, variable on sustained impact without accompanying data transparency. The real policy test will come when Rajasthan either publishes — or declines to publish — incident-reduction figures for these formations.
NationPress
18 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Kalika Patrolling Units in Rajasthan?
The Kalika Patrolling Units are newly launched specialised police formations in Rajasthan tasked with patrolling public spaces to prevent harassment and ensure the safety of women. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma inaugurated 100 such units in Jaipur on 18 October 2026.
What are Anti Romeo Squads and how many operate in Rajasthan?
Anti Romeo Squads are dedicated police units that monitor public spaces to deter and prevent eve-teasing and harassment of women. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma stated that 65 Anti Romeo Squads are currently operational across Rajasthan.
Who is Bhajanlal Sharma?
Bhajanlal Sharma is the Chief Minister of Rajasthan from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He assumed office in December 2023 and has made law-and-order strengthening a prominent theme of his administration.
Where was the Kalika Patrolling Units launch held?
The inauguration and dialogue programme for the 100 Kalika Patrolling Units was held in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, on 18 October 2026.
What is the difference between Kalika Patrolling Units and Anti Romeo Squads?
While both target women's safety in public spaces, Anti Romeo Squads focus on rapid deterrence and response to eve-teasing incidents, whereas the newly launched Kalika Patrolling Units emphasise sustained, community-level patrol presence across public areas.
