Sagar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, April 24: Women who approach Mahila Police with complaints are often cursing their fate. Action is mostly found wanting; and when it acts, things move at snail’s pace. Justice is a far cry. The killer instinct that is the trade mark of cops in following up cases is sadly missing.
A while ago, a 29-year-old woman had landed up in front of the CM’s house with a serious complaint of harassment by her husband and in-laws. Swarnlata Sahu, a resident of Berhampur, was detained and bundled out by the security, saying she committed a breach of law by intruding into the high security area. She was taken by the police to Mahila police station late in the evening – after several hours of her arrest. The Mahila Police however would not accept her complaint. They instead threatened to put her behind the bars for violating section 144 near the CM’s residence. The next morning, she was forcibly deported to Berhampur.
Sahu is among hundreds of complainants who approach the Mahila Police with complaints, including of sexual harassment, from the state. Many of them are allegedly humiliated and some even assaulted at the women police station. In many cases, women cops at the Mahila Police Station are reticent about registering complaints from these women. Even in cases where complaints are registered, proceedings move slowly and justice is unduly delayed, according to these victims. The reply to an RTI enquiry filed by this correspondent was revealing. Last year, between January 1 and December 31, as many as 398 cases of crime against women were registered with the Mahila Police. Out of these, 257 cases — around 64.75 per cent — are pending on the ground investigations are incomplete. In other words, these cases would take more time to move court for justice.
Worse, conviction has not been made even in a single case that moved court so far. Not a single accused in 398 cases of crime against women has been convicted. “The zero-conviction rate in such cases certainly contributes to the rise in crime against women in the state. Besides, the indifferent attitude of the Mahila Police has frustrated those who approached it with complaints, and it also discourages victims from approaching Mahila Police,” said Chitranjan Das, a criminal lawyer.
Trial is ongoing in 141 cases. Talking about the delay in court cases, Das said, “Most of the time police manufacture evidence. They sit in police station and avoid visiting the spot to collect evidence. What is reached to them is taken note of.” Apart from the delay in investigation and ongoing trial, Mahila Police has also failed to arrest the accused in as many as 159 cases.
Another startling fact that emerged from the RTI query is that, during the same period last year, a total of 45 rape cases were reported to Mahila Police, while 291 cases were reported under section 498(A) (cruelty by husband and relatives). In none of the cases, any accused has been convicted.
There are more surprises. Last year, in the capital, as many as 14 cases of kidnapping of girls were lodged with the Mahila Police while eight cases of murder of women were registered. None of the missing girls could be located. Also, no one has been convicted for these murders!
Police and legal experts are of the view that lack of training of Mahila police in dealing with crimes against women and their casual attitude has virtually nullified the very purpose of having a separate police station for women. “Dowry cases are routine. What’s the point in attaching any importance to such cases,” argued a sub inspector of Mahila police in support of the cops’ inaction.
Finally, it is the same old story. “It is lack of sanctioned strength of cops at the Mahila Police Station.” At present, Bhubaneswar Mahila PS has one inspector, six sub inspectors, two assistant sub inspectors and one assistant driver.
Not long ago, an auto driver Shivarama Swain, was beaten up black and blue by a sub inspector of Mahila Police. The auto driver’s fault: he brought two victims of sexual harassment to the police station, that too at a time when cops were preparing to have a nap after lunch. In another incident, a nursing student was called a “whore” by another sub inspector when she went there to lodge a complaint, and this was reported by Orissa Post in January last.
