Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed Delhi police to conduct ‘crime-mapping’ of offences committed against women in the national capital.

‘Delhi police shall provide this court with crime mapping, particularly of crimes committed against women, before the next date of hearing,’ said a bench of acting chief justice BD Ahmed and justice S Mridul. With directions that the said report should be submitted inside a sealed cover, the matter was listed for further hearing on 16 April.

The direction was issued on a plea filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal in which he has alleged that instances of eve-teasing in Delhi had increased by over 700 per cent in 2013.

He urged that the Centre and city government be directed to implement the guidelines laid down by Supreme Court to prevent the commission of offences. Earlier, on 20 February, while asking Delhi police to inform it about the areas where incidents of eve-teasing occur, the court had observed that women in the national capital ‘feel unsafe’ and that the issue of their safety still bore a ‘question mark’.

The court was of the view that the only way to control or prevent crimes against women was to change the ‘mindset’ of the people.