DCW notices to police stations for not reporting

The Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) has issued 82 notices to 54 police stations in last ten months for non-compliance with an order which mandates that any case relating to rape or sexual assault be immediately informed to it.

The SHOs of the police stations were asked to provide a written explanation as to why the Rape Crisis Cell (RCC) or the Crisis Intervention Centre (CIC) of the commission was not informed about each incident.

According to the commission, the specified procedure was not followed in 82 cases. The highest number of cases –seven – went unreported from Mehrauli police station, followed by four cases each from Safdarjung Enclave, Punjabi Bagh and Sarita Vihar police stations.  Among these 82 unreported cases, the victims in 36 cases were minors. Of these, victims in 15 cases were below the age of 13.

In 24 cases out of 82, the CIC counselors were not informed about the case at all. In 11 cases, they were informed after the FIR had been registered, while in 45 cases the counselors were informed after an FIR was registered and the medical examination had been completed.

In two cases, the counselors were informed before the FIR was registered but after the medical examination was conducted.

According to guidelines passed by the High Court of Delhi in 2008 for investigation of sexual assault cases, a CIC – an agency for responding to calls of sexual assault at the police station.