DIRECTIVE: Don’t call women to police stations

Chandigarh, December 31, 2012: The Punjab Government today issued detailed guidelines to all District Police Chiefs besides Zonal IGs and DIGs for proper, regular monitoring of offences against women and children and to ensure their prompt and effective investigation.

In the detailed instructions issued by DGP, it has been emphasized that Complainant of cases relating to crime against women and children would not be called to police stations or police posts for enquiry/investigation. All victims of such cases will be interviewed and examined at their place of residence in the presence of their family members. It has been pointed out that the Police party carrying out such interviews will invariably be accompanied by woman police officer(s).

The DGP stressed that in order to ensure proper and regular monitoring, prompt and effective investigation of offences against women and children including and also for improving police response to sexual assaults, sexual violence, and abductions/kidnapping of women and children the District Police Chiefs and IGP’s/DIGs of Zones/Ranges would personally monitor such cases. It said that SSPs in districts and DCsP in Police Commissionerates will personally monitor cases of crime against women and children on a daily basis. ADGP Crime will obtain reports of such crimes from all districts and commissionerates, to ensure monitoring of such cases at his level on a weekly basis.

Explaining the monitoring process it said that Halqa GOs will personally supervise the investigation in all cases relating to offences against Children and Women. To ensure personal hearing of grievances of the people the DGP issued directions that SSPs and DCsP, or, in their absence, the senior most SP present at the district Headquarters, will remain available in the office from 10.00am to 11.00 am on all working days to personally attend to and deal with complaints of offences against women and children.

Underlining the need to adopt judicious approach in all such cases, it also pointed out that over the last few days, complaints had been received at the Punjab Police Headquarters that serious charges of kidnapping/abduction, rape, criminal intimidation etc have been slapped against various persons in different districts of the State on the basis of misrepresented and distorted facts. The communiqué pointed out that while it is imperative to ensure prompt registration of cases and expeditious and vigorous investigation in all cases of sexual assault and violence, at the same time, it was incumbent on the district police chiefs to ensure that innocent persons are not booked or harassed merely on the basis of false allegations and by misrepresentation and distortion of facts. The officers must appreciate that charges of rape and abduction are serious and stigmatizing in nature, and could, therefore, cause serious and lasting damage to the reputation of the individual and his family in the society.

It emphasised that in view of the above, the COPs/SSsP have been advised to ensure fair, transparent and expeditious investigations in all such cases in the interest of justice. A preliminary scrutiny and reading of FIRs registered in the cases of 8 cases listed, it was felt that these cases needed to be investigated through police officers of SP rank before taking any hasty and precipitate action in the matter.

·         FIR no. 56 dated 29.12.2012 U/S 363/366-A/376 IPC/ Khem Karan,Tarn Taran.

·         FIR no. 124 dated 28.12.2012 u/s 376/34 IPC/Bhindi Saidan,

·         Amritsar Rural.

·         FIR no. 217 dated 28.12.2012 u/s 376/506/420/34 IPC/Ajnala, Amritsar Rural.         

·         FIR no.115 dated 16.10.2012 u/s 376, 506 IPC/City-2, Malerkotla, Sangrur.

·         FIR no.140 dated 27.12.2012 u/s 376, 506, 342, 120 B/Arinwala, Fazilka.

·         FIR no. 100 dated 28.12.2012u/s 376/34/Mour, Bathinda.

·         FIR no.183  dated 29.12.2012 u/s 376, 506 IPC/Sadar Ludhiana, Ludhiana City.

·         FIR no. 133   dated 259.12.2012 u/s 376/34 IPC/Jodhan,

·         Ludhiana Rural.