Aligarh, Dec 13 (IANS): A right-wing outfit, the Hindu Chhatra Vahini, has set up a helpline for women and girls in distress in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district.

The district president of the Hindu Chhatra Vahini, Aditya Pandit, said that in view of increasing crime against women, he and his outfit had decided that they would not wait for a Nirbhaya like incident to take place in the district and so decided to act.

"We have set up a helpline number that is also available on the WhatsApp and this number is prominently being publicised through posters and banners. We have put up the helpline number outside all girls' colleges and women's institutions," he said.

Replying to a question, the Vahini leader said that the police had been unable to instil confidence among women on issues related to security and, hence, the Hindu Chhatra Vahini had taken up this initiative.

He said that a woman could call the helpline and the Vahini volunteers would take care of her. "Whether it is ensuring her safety during travel, or dealing with eve-teasing incidents and stalkers, our volunteers will reach out to women at the earliest," he said.

A senior police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that such programmes only serve to undermine the authority of the police force.

"Who will be responsible if someone from this outfit is responsible for some incident later on? The government must decide whether we can allow such initiatives in the policing sector," he said.