Offenders In Crimes Against Women In Indore To Lose Driving Licence

The Indore District Administration has come up with a move that they hope will deter crimes against women. Offenders, who have been convicted of multiple crimes against women, will have their driving licence cancelled. These crimes include molestation, rape and dowry harassment.

Indore district collector Nishant Warwade made this announcement on May 17 during a meeting held to discuss ways to boost road safety.

Also read: ADR Study: 48 MLAs/ MPs have Declared Cases of Crimes Against Women

How the decision came about

This announcement comes on the heels of an incident on April 23 when a woman, while driving her scooter, was allegedly being molested by two other men on another vehicle. While trying to defend herself, she lost control of her vehicle and suffered multiple injuries

As per a report by Hindustan Times, the girl remained in a shock for a long time. She said the physical scars could be treated, but not the scars that the incident left on her soul.

However, she didn’t hold back and decided to speak out. She took her outage to Twitter after which the handle, belonging to the city’s Deputy Inspector General, asked her to contact them.

The idea behind the administration's decision was that if these molesters (offenders of crimes against women) were not given the choice of driving, such crimes could be prevented.

Alarming rate of crime against women

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 34,651 rape cases under Section 376 of IPC were registered during 2015 in the country. Out of this, the maximum number of rape cases were reported in Madhya Pradesh (4,391).

Well, we can’t say with certainty that such a measure will bring down the crime rate against women. But we can definitely hope that it acts as a deterrent. Or at the least ensures that women are safe on the road

Under a provision of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, the licensing authority may take action under Section 19. This allows for disqualification from holding a driving licence or the cancellation of a present one. If the licence holder or prospective licence holder is a habitual criminal or drunkard, the licensing authority has the right to act.

However, there is no debate that we need strict laws on gender crime. Any person booked for sexual harassment, molestation or rape should not be able to get away easily.

Also read: Odia Actress Usasi Misra Alleges Molestation and Manhandling

Malvika Bansal is an intern with SheThePeople.Tv