All Maharashtra Districts To Get Special Police Units For Crime Against Women

Following a rise in crimes against women, the Maharashtra government has launched an initiative to set up a woman police investigation wing in every district. The wing will deal with cases of sexual harassment, domestic violence, rape, human trafficking etc.

A special investigation team was required to investigate these cases thoroughly and to present a charge sheet on time, said an official.

“This team will investigate cases related to atrocities against women. It will also frame charges against the accused and submit charge sheet on time.”

The wing will have a 16-member investigation team working under Deputy Superintendent of Police (Economic Offences Wing) at the district level. These 16 members will comprise four police officers and 12 cops.

“This team will investigate cases related to atrocities against women. It will also frame charges against the accused and submit charge sheet on time,” he said, Indian Express reported.

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This isn’t a new initiative. Earlier, Maharashtra had set up investigation wings at seven major districts. These are Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Pune Rural, Yavatmal and Ahmednagar. However, the growing crime rate led the government to make the move mandatory for the other districts as well.

These special investigative squads plan to raise conviction rate in women-related crime incidents. Another key objective is to train women on precautionary safety measures. For this, they will take help from NGOs working towards women’s empowerment.

Apart from Maharashtra, the Delhi, UP and Kolkata Police are also working towards women’s safety in these states. While the Delhi police started women PCRs in the city, UP police recently held a summit to discuss problems and solutions related to crimes against women. And as the social media campaign against sexual harassment #MeToo catches fire online, Kolkata police also shared a strong message in solidarity with the survivor women.