* Announces road-map for reforms in Police Department, asks cops to register every complaint they receive
* Says, Govt committed to improve investigation, detection, conviction, and bring down crime rate in five years
* Women’s Cell to be set up in all police stations, strengthening of
forensic laboratories, appoint panel of prosecutors at district-level
* Cops doing commendable job to be honoured with medals
By Kartik Lokhande
Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Friday, announced that his Government
adopted ‘Zero Tolerance’ against corruption, crime, and indiscipline in
Maharashtra. Replying to a debate on law and order situation, Fadnavis,
who also holds Home Department portfolio, rolled out a road-map for
reforms in Police Department.
Fadnavis informed the Assembly about
the Government’s plans to discipline the police force, curb cyber crime,
take measures to reduce crimes against Dalits and women, and strengthen
the police infrastructure and Intelligence apparatus. The Government
would consider the recommendation of Ram Pradhan Committee of appointing
retired officers of Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing
(RAW) on contract basis to strengthen Intelligence apparatus in State,
he said. He made a slew of announcements, while throwing light on the
challenges posed before him because of poor handling of Home Department
by the previous Government.
Chief Minister told the Assembly that he
had directed the cops to register each and every complaint. “Unlike the
previous Government, we will not resort to trickery like not
registering offences and claiming decline in number of crime. Instead, I
have asked the cops to register all the complaints. Initially, there
may appear to be sudden increase in number of crimes in Maharashtra.
However, in the longer run, it will help in restoring faith of citizens
in police machinery. Besides, it will help improve faster investigation,
better detection,” he explained.
Stressing upon the need to train
Investigation Officers for foolproof investigation, filing of
chargesheet in a proper manner, Fadnavis said that his Government had
adopted a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy for crimes against women, Dalits,
corruption, and indiscipline and insubordination in the police force. He
announced to set up Women’s Cell in each of the police stations in
State. In a phased manner, effort will be made to designate all-women
staff for these cells. The Government would consult the High Court and
try to increase the number of Fast Track Courts for cases concerning
women.
Commenting on the recent incidents of atrocities against
Dalits, the Chief Minister said that it was a cause of concern. “The
bigger cause of concern is that the rate of conviction in such cases is
very poor. Hence, only law will not help, but its implementation and
efforts to improve conviction rate will. The Government favoured
disposal of serious offences through fast track trials,” he announced in
the House. He extended his greetings to police officers who
investigated Javkhede-Khalsa murders for swift detection of crime and
arrest of real culprits. “The cops recorded depositions of 140
witnesses, grilled 13 suspects, and conducted various tests including
polygraph and SDS on six of them. Finally, they arrested the real
culprits who confessed to the murders,” he added.
Referring to an
incident at Sindewahi in which two girls were sold in Rajasthan,
Fadnavis said that the accused were arrest. Still, he said, the
Government had asked the cops to probe if there was an organised gang
behind the incident. In the human sacrifice case in Wardha district in
which a child Rupesh Muley was killed brutally, he assured that the
accused was arrested. Though it was for the court to decide on
punishment, he said that the Government would take necessary measures to
ensure the most stringent action against the culprit.
Fadnavis
announced that the Government was in favour of detection of smaller
cases, and a plan of action was being prepared to bring doown number of
crimes drastically in five years. “Fundamental changes, massive reforms
are needed to increase detection and conviction,” he said. He said that
Forensic Science Laboratories in the State would be strengthened. Two
new laboratories would be set up soon with all the ultra-modern
facilities. Further, to improve rate of conviction from a poor 15 per
cent, a panel of prosecutors would be appointed in every district and
proper legal aid would be provided during investigation. Forensic units
would be set up in every district and Commissionerate area. To boost the
morale of cops, those doing commendable job would be honoured with
special medals, he said.
Shall request to Centre for
CERT unit in State: CM
Chief
Minister informed the Assembly that the State Government would request
the Centre to set up a unit of Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
for faster detection of cyber crimes and removal of objectionable
content posted on social media. Expressing concern over rising cyber
crimes and posting of objectionable content on social media, Fadnavis
pointed out that servers of social media services were in the US or
other countries. It was found that most of the content was posted from
other countries, with an intention to stoke the sentiments of people in
Maharashtra or India. Hence, Cyber Cell of Police Department was
required to be made more effective, he added.
‘Property of directors
to be seized to return
investors’ money’
Highlighting
that the economic offences registered in the previous year involved a
huge amount of Rs 9,340 crore, Devendra Fadnavis said that many
companies collected money from innocent investors and duped them.
To
ensure punishment to the culprits and return of hard-earned money of
depositors, Additional Collector or Deputy Collector in every district
was designated as special officer to look into the matters pertaining to
protection of investors and depositors. The Government had decided to
make provision for seizure of property of directors of such companies
and return the money to depositors,” he said.
State takes note of MLAs’
demand to ban ‘MD’
Taking
a note of the demand of MLAs to ban Mephedrone or MD in Maharashtra,
Chief Minister said that already the State Government had requested to
the Centre to include MD in Schedule 1 of Narcotic and Psychotropic
Substances (NDPS) Act. State would explore if special action could be
proposed against those manufacturing and selling MD, he said. A day ago,
MLAs had alleged that MD was being manufactured and sold as a cheaper
alternative to cocaine and youngsters addicted to it were dying.
CM takes a dig at Oppn
Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis took a dig at the Opposition parties that
were in the erstwhile Democratic Front (DF) Government, while replying
to the debate on law and order situation.
Referring to gang-war in
Pune, Fadnavis pointed out that Marne gang was on rampage in Pune and
was involved in land grabbing, shooting, murders etc. “Such gangs can
operate because of political connections. As far as Marne gang is
concerned, police officer concerned had proposed externment of its
members, but the erstwhile Government stayed it,” he said. At the same
time, Fadnavis assured that his Government would spare none.
Major Announcements
* Two new state-of-the-art forensic laboratories
* Forensic units in every district and Commissionerate area
* Women’s Cell in every police station
* Panel of prosecutors to be appointed in every district to improve rate of conviction
* Medals to policemen doing commendable job
* Police force to be made ‘citizen centric’
* Citizen Facilitation Centre to be set up at all district police
headquarters, single window system for various licences and permissions
* Decentralisation of powers to transfer subordinates
* Proposal to transfer Police Constables after five years, instead of two years
* Housing woes of cops to be solved through additional FSI, Rs 500 crore loan to be taken
* Vocation training at police academies
* Stringent policy to counter terrorism and policy initiatives to bring ‘strayed’ youths in mainstream of development
* If a cop dies on duty, his family members will get salary for the period till his retirement had he been alive
(12-12-14)
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