Gang-rape and rape cases in which the accused is/are not known to the victim will be investigated by officers not below the rank of police inspector (PI), a new circular, issued by police commissioner Rakesh Maria, states. Also, such cases will be handled solely by women officers when they fall in the jurisdiction of stations where there are policewomen.
The circular, which will be brought into force with immediate effect, is the latest initiative by the Mumbai Police to speed up investigations in cases of crimes against women.
Talking about the initiative, Maria said, "The whole idea is to improve the quality of investigations. Until now, such cases were handled by sub-inspectors, assistant inspectors and the like. In sensitive issues such as rape and gang rape, the cases should go to experienced officers not below the level of PIs."
He added that because such cases require more field experience and expertise in interacting with the victims and their family, it is important that senior officers handle these cases. "I am sure that with this (move) we can expect more convictions. Besides, more and more women will come forward to register complaints once they know that senior officers will be handling sensitive cases," he said.
However, already it can be seen that not all police stations are taking these instructions seriously. The Goregaon police, for example, is still to act against a ward boy of Siddharth Hospital, who stripped in front of women staffers. Despite an FIR being filed by activist Dr Avisha Kulkarni over a week ago, the police are yet to act.
Maria also said that women police officers will be handling cases wherever they are present. "In police stations where there are women officers, only they will look after cases of crimes against women. Right from registering an FIR, taking statements to accompanying the victims for medical examination, we will deploy women officers. They will be in charge of the case in totality," he added.
He also said that help from NGOs and women's welfare organisations will be taken in such cases to make the victims more comfortable and earn their trust for better investigations.
In another step, Maria has also asked police stations to keep a record of "sexual predators" in their respective areas. "All police stations will be maintaining a register of stalkers, eve-teasers and sexual offenders in the area. During festivals, such as Ganeshotsav, Diwali and Holi, where a large number of people gather on the streets, we will ensure that these people are off the streets around that time. This will also help us in detecting such cases faster," said Maria.
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