New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the city police to create a congenial atmosphere in police stations to make reporting of crimes against women easier and friendly.

A bench of justices B.D. Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul said Delhi Police should make women victims comfortable so that they can come forward to lodge complaints against the accused without fear.

The bench also directed police and the Delhi government to give wide publicity to the rising crimes against women taking place inside homes, and observed that the accused in such cases are mostly relatives.

The bench also said policing was “not effective” and there was an increase in crimes against women in the capital.

Earlier, 44 ‘red-flagged’ areas were identified in Delhi, where the court had asked police to take immediate action in terms of better policing, gender sensitisation and public awareness programmes.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Gaurav Bansal, which cited surveys by independent organisations that claimed a recent spurt in crimes and sought directions for taking adequate steps to check them.

The petition said the Delhi government failed to provide an atmosphere conducive to the growth of girl students and women.

Bansal submitted a press release issued by Delhi Police in April 2013 which said molestation and harassment recorded 600 percent and 783.67 percent rise, respectively, in the last few years.