7 Rape Cases Filed In Punjab Every Day

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CHANDIGARH – The state has one of the best police-people ratio in the country (one cop for 364 persons) against the targeted national average of one policeman per 562 persons. Yet seven rape complaints are lodged in the state every day and five gangrapes reported every week.

The police come under the Home Department and the Home portfolio is with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The state DGP, Sumedh Saini, had in 2013 started a special night patrolling exercise. The Deputy CM had then conducted surprise checks at police nakas and police stations to see if the staff remained vigilant during the night hours.

It is sad that the 23-year-old Ludhiana hotel employee, who was gangraped on March 8, could not safely traverse on foot a distance of a mere 200 metres in a city where roads are rarely deserted.

Police figures show that in 2014 as many as 2,711 rape complaints were registered of which 625 were cancelled, challans were presented in courts in 1,836 cases while 234 complaints are under investigation. Also, 263 incidents of gangrape were reported last year.

Of these, 63 were cancelled, challan was presented in courts in 170 cases and 28 cases are still under investigation.

The police do not appear to be focussing on law and order. An Additional DGP-rank officer, Dinkar Gupta, who also holds the charge of Security and Provisioning, is in charge of law and order. Gupta was not available for comments.

He did not respond to phone calls and SMSes.