CHANDIGARH/JALANDHAR: In a major step toward fostering an inclusive, victim-centric, and gender-responsive policing ecosystem as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday inaugurated the three-day Round-III training programme under the Gender Sensitization Project, “Mainstreaming of Women in Punjab Police,” at the historic 134-year-old Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy (MRSPPA) in Phillaur.
The initiative is an extensive impact assessment training programme spearheaded by the Community Affairs Division (CAD) of Punjab Police in partnership with J-PAL South Asia and the Hartek Foundation. This is the final and concluding round of gender sensitivity training being conducted in three rounds since December 2025. The Round-III training will cover a total of 1,453 nominated police officials in specialised groups including Mixed Group (T3) on Day 1, Male-only Group (T2) on Day 2, and Female-only Group (T1) on Day 3.
“Through three statewide training rounds, 1,500–2,000 police personnel from 384 police stations are being equipped with the essential skills and understanding required for gender-responsive, rights-based and victim-centric policing, with special focus on women, children and other vulnerable sections” said the DGP.
On this occasion, DGP Gaurav Yadav also launched the Online Digital Portal for Ministry of Defence (MoD) Verification on the Punjab Police Saanjh Platform, a milestone digital initiative designed to streamline and expedite verification processes for newly recruited defence personnel from months to just a few days.
Presiding over the inaugural ceremony, DGP Gaurav Yadav emphasised the necessity of citizen-centric policing and exhorted officers to bring empathy and sensitivity to their daily interactions with all complainants who approach police stations.
Pointing out that the Punjab Government has implemented 33% reservation for women in government services including the police department, DGP Gaurav Yadav asserted that the police ecosystem must actively evolve to become inclusive and gender-friendly. He emphasised that women officers must not be confined to routine desk duties but should be proactively assigned operational responsibilities in investigation, intelligence, and maintaining law and order.
Special DGP Community Affairs Division (CAD) Gurpreet Kaur Deo highlighted that the programme follows a comprehensive Training of Trainers (ToT) model, under which 60 police officers from various districts were prepared as Master Trainers to cascade standardised modules to personnel at the police station level, ensuring deep institutional impact and better relatability.
Earlier, DGP Gaurav Yadav, along with Special DGP Gurpreet Kaur Deo, welcomed eminent former police officers and lead trainers including former DGP of Maharashtra Cadre Meeran Chadha Borwankar and former DGP of Punjab Cadre RC Singh, who graced the occasion as Guests of Honour.
RC Singh conducted an insightful session on “Gender-Responsive Policing: From Perspective to Practice,” while, Meeran C Borwankar led sessions on “Women in Policing – Leadership and Inclusion.”
Meanwhile, Director Human Resources from Ministry of Defence Aaron Pamei appreciated Punjab Police’s proactive governance and expressed gratitude to the DGP and the IT team for developing the online digital verification module on the Saanjh portal. A documentary film on domestic violence produced by the Department of Mass Communication, GGDSD College, Chandigarh, was also screened during the inaugural function.
