Chennai City Police are reviewing the cases of crime against women that have been recorded in the last two years in a step towards ensuring a speedy trial. This comes in the wake of the national outcry following the gang rape of a woman in New Delhi in December and her subsequent death.
The move follows instructions from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to ensure the safety of women and treat cases of sexual violence as grievous crimes. The city police have collected information on various crimes against women in the city including rape, molestation, harassment and dowry deaths. The two additional commissioners in charge of the four zones of the city will review the cases under their jurisdiction. “The cases currently under investigation will be reviewed on a monthly basis while those pending trial will be examined every two weeks,” a senior officer said.
Of the 84 cases of rape registered in 2012, 78 were cases of sexual exploitation of women by their partners after promises of marriage or when they were in a relationship. The six other cases are also being re-examined. “We are not taking the 78 cases lightly but are also examining them and ensuring the suspect is punished through a speedy trial. Women officers are also assisting the victim in the process,” said a senior officer.
The statistics also include cases involving minors.
In the first week of 2013 alone, more than three cases of harassment including eve-teasing have been recorded in the city. Suspects have been remanded to custody with the latest being a case in Kilpauk police limits were a woman travelling on a motorcycle with her husband was harassed by four inebriated men in a moving car on Taylors Road.
City police have advised women to come forward and lodge a complaint against any form of harassment in public or at work place. The complaint will be dealt as a grave case and a detailed enquiry will be carried out without divulging the identity of the complainant, police sources said.
