'Fix onus on police for atrocities against SCs'

The Commission, headed by BJP MLA Nehru Olekar submitted its final report to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday. It was constituted two-and-a-half-years ago.
Receiving the report, the Chief Minister said his government would implement the report after holding discussion with the officers concerned.

The report said the police had been controlled by “certain forces” while handling cases of atrocities on SC/ST. It said during its visits to certain districts, the commission found many police officers being negligent while handling the cases. Delay in registering cases, refusal to register cases and allowing the accused go scot free instead of taking stringent action had been noticed, the report said.

It expressed its dissatisfaction with the manner in which many cases of atrocities were handled by the prosecution in courts.

The commission suggested the government reward police officers who do a commendable job and mention the same in their service records. The commission also recommended necessary amendment to the law to punish those file false complaints under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. It has recommended that exclusive police stations be established at district level for handling cases booked under the Act. The police stations could be on the lines of all-women police stations.