Amend law to reduce age of juvenile from 18 to 16 years: Delhi top cop

The Delhi Police has favoured an amendment in law to reduce the age of juvenile from the present 18 to 16 years against the backdrop of the gangrape of a paramedical student here in which a minor was involved.

"The Delhi Police feel that the age of juvenile should be 16 years. This is our view. I understand there is already a bill pending (to be passed)," police commissioner Neeraj Kumar told a press conference in the capital, while replying to a question on changes needed in defining a juvenile in the wake of the gangrape of a 23-year- old on December 16, an incident which sparked a debate on this issue.

According to the police, it was the juvenile involved in the incident who enticed the girl and her male friend to board the bus in which the paramedic student was gangraped before being thrown out of the vehicle. She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.

Facing a volley of questions on the rape incident, the police commissioner spoke about the demand being made for death penalty for such offenders but did not say whether he was in favour or against it. "There is a lot of debate about it. The Justice Verma Committee is looking into. It will take a view on this," he said.

To a question on constable Subhash Tomar's death during the protests here following the incident, he stuck to the stand that he suffered a heart attack in the protest area and that he did not have any history of heart ailment. Further, the Delhi Police gazetted officers have collected Rs8 lakh by contributing a day's salary while another Rs8 lakh has been raised for the family of Tomar.