Sensitise cops, media, says Mehra panel report

The Justice Usha Mehra Commission, formed after the gang-rape and fatal assault of a paramedic, on Friday submitted its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, suggesting the need to sensitise police and media, improve coordination between the traffic police and state government and amend criminal laws to make the city safe for women.

Justice Mehra handed over the report to Union Home Secretary R K Singh on Friday afternoon. Though the commission did not find fault in the response of the Delhi Police to handle the December 16 rape and fatal assault on the girl, it said that the police are still hesitant in registering cases to probe crime against women, Justice Mehra told media persons.

The home secretary said that they did carry out technical analysis of the PCR response to the distress call by the victim and came to the conclusion that there is scope for improvement.

Friend turns hostile

Interestingly, the gang-rape victim’s friend who was also assaulted in the moving bus turned hostile before the commission. During interviews to television channels, the friend had said that for close to two hours three PCR vans which rushed to attend the distress call were quarelling among themselves over the jurisdiction.

Justice Mehra said that victim’s friend gave a contrary statement, saying that there was no delay on the PCR vans to take them to Safdarjang hospital. She said, “when I asked him that whatever you are saying, which is contrary to your interview to media, would be part of the report, the injured youngster said that what he was saying now was correct”.

Justice Mehra has also suggested in her exhaustive report, submitted well before the three-month cap of March 30, the need to revisit education standard, and wanted a designated key on the mobile phone which automatically dials PCR or the person’s family to convey distress message.

The commission also desired that the investigation should be separated from law and order duties of the police to improve the quality of probe.

Justice Mehra said that due to lack of co-ordination between the transport department and traffic police, the bus in which the paramedic was assaulted, was plying without permit from March 8, 2012. The transport department did not share this fact with the traffic police.