Police, civil society and government authorities should be more careful while commenting or reacting in cases involving juveniles because their actions can have serious consequences, said a senior police officer.
The way people commented on the ‘Bois Locker Room’ incident, which involved many juveniles, was an example of carelessness, said the officer. Amid the outrage on social media on the issue, a girl came out with an Instagram post accusing a boy of molesting her two years ago. Fearing police action and social media trial, the teenager ended his life, he said.
“Juveniles should be treated with soft hands and caution, they have their future. They can’t be treated like criminals,” said the officer.
DCP (Cyber Crime) Bhisham Singh said whenever they deal with any case involving juveniles, they exercise extra caution in their probe.
Softer approach
While investigating cybercrime cases involving juveniles, they follow a standard operating procedure. The investigating officer remains in plain clothes when meeting the juvenile; he/she is never called to a police station and is counselled only in the presence of parents or NGO members, a police officer revealed.
“We get a lot of cases where juveniles get involved in cybercrimes like morphing picture, cheating or any other mischievous activities. In most of the cases, juveniles admit their mistake and both parents [of the complainant and accused] settle the issue among themselves and withdraw the complaint. The juvenile gives a written assurance to the police that he/she will not get involved in any such activities,” said a police officer.
The officer said they give a chance to the juvenile as an FIR can spoil the child’s entire life and career. He/she will never be able to return to the mainstream. The warning helps and most of them never repeat the crime, the officer said.
Arduous task
The police face several hurdles when investigating cases that involve social media platforms. Retrieving information, an officer admitted, is not easy as most of the platforms have their servers in the U.S. and China. A long set of questions have to be answered before they release the information. In the meantime, they have to deal with the public pressure to arrest or identify the people behind cybercrime.
Suicide prevention helpline: Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health, 011-4076 9002, Monday-Saturday (10 a.m.-7.30 p.m.)
