The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Focus on relief for victims, police told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 26, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Focus on relief for victims, police told

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, JULY 25 . The Inspector-General of Police, West Zone, A. Subramanian, on Saturday directed the Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors manning the all-women police stations in the West Zone to focus on victim relief besides paying attention to prosecution of offenders in cases relating to violence against women.

He was talking to reporters after reviewing the progress made in 2,000-odd cases coming under 40 all-women police stations in the districts of the Nilgiris, Coimbatore Rural, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri besides the Salem and Coimbatore City Police Commissionerates.

The IG said that the officers were given a form seeking details of cases and their status. The form also aims at enlisting statistics relating to number of dowry cases, rape, adultery, molestation and dowry deaths in the jurisdiction of each police station. They were asked to provide details relating to number of cases under investigation, under trial and also of cases that ended in acquittal.

The cases that ended in acquittal should be taken up with legal advisors and should be followed up by going on appeal in higher courts. In case of divorce, the officers should also ensure that the dowry given at the time of marriage was restored to the girl before proceeding to the issue of maintenance allowance i.e., alimony.

Matrimonial disputes

Similarly in matrimonial disputes, it was the duty of the police to do a shadow watching to find out whether the husband or his family was actually pursuing the dispute legally for a second marriage.

Efforts were being taken to bring in higher standards in quality of investigations, evidence gathering and the officers should ensure that charge sheets were filed within six months.

He recalled the recent directive of the Home Secretary stressing the need for periodical meetings with counsellors to ensure that the role of the police in matrimonial disputes was fair and appreciable.

A police station should have a minimum number of counsellors and if it was found to be lacking, the officers should seek the help of professors, lecturers and NSS volunteers in colleges or even the members of self-help groups to enable amicable settlements between the husband and wife at the complaint stage.

Squad for rural areas

The officers should ensure that the counsellors were not selfish, had a sense of a justice and not misuse their status as counsellors. The police should also bring about awareness on the need for registering all marriages as a legal pre-requisite. The mobile units of all-women police should visit rural areas for offering help to women in distress and the schedule of such visits should be publicised adequately through television and pamphlets. The need for police to be pro-active in cracking down ganja and liquor menace and in preventing violence against women was also stressed, Mr. Subramanian added.

Besides reviewing the ongoing cases, the IG also advised the police officers to prepare a plan of action for the ensuing month in respect of cases being pursued both in investigation as well as in various stages of trial. The IGP said that officers who ensure maximum convictions in cases of violence against women would be rewarded. The Zone would next focus on issues relating to road safety in August to reduce the number of lives lost, he added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Focus on relief for victims, police told

Collector's fiat on electoral rolls

Desilting of Vellalore Canal on

Cash lost, found in six hours

Thatched roofs removed in 89 schools

Around the City

In Coimbatore Today