Last weekend when action was taken against three Police Inspectors for the delay in registering crimes against women, it felt that the wheels of the department have started chugging in an area that has been neglected the most. However, the suspension of Valpoi PI Prajyot Phadte over delaying registration of an FIR into a sexual assault of a minor and transfer and show cause notice to two other police officers in another case left more questions than answers.
The first case was regarding an alleged rape where the PI delayed registering the FIR, and the victim subsequently uploaded obscene images online. The second case was about a girl who claimed to have been raped by her father and forced to undergo four abortions. The girl stated that the Women's Police Station sent her home to answer her exams and preferred not to register her complaint.
While the police hesitancy is as clear as daylight, the department's inconsistency in viewing lapses is another matter of concern. For example, the two recent cases of delay in registering FIRs saw three police officers penalised, but the action has come in varying forms. One PI is suspended, another is transferred, and the third is issued a show-cause notice. Can the department explain this variable line of penal action? If the department has taken cognisance of lapses, all three should have been handed out identical punitive action. By singling out one PI for suspension, the politics within the department stands exposed, and there is a strong suspicion that the move was motivated to target individuals and not address the issue at hand.
Both are very sensitive cases and were somewhat identical, bringing the attitude of the police towards crimes against women into sharp focus. Records reveal that out of the over a thousand cases registered from 2019 to March 2023 in police stations across Goa, a meagre eight instances have ended in convictions so far. Even worse is that out of the 299 rape cases, only 16 have got a conviction.
While the failure in investigation and gathering facts lay exposed in such sensitive cases, the attitude towards handling crime right from the time of registration is showing. Crime against women is still not a priority, and both the recent cases under the scanner amplify the reluctance of police to initiate a probe. Leave alone registering cases, sexual assault victims have often complained of getting the cold shoulder and further victimisation at the police stations. For example, the girl who complained of rape by her father was told to go home and report to the helpline.
The Director General of Police has blamed the poor conviction rate on victims retracting and not supporting the prosecution's narrative while stressing the need for speedy trials. But how does the DGP explain the unwillingness of police to register crimes against women, especially rape, promptly? Why are the police dilly-dallying? If we may recall, there is a history of cases where police had to be virtually forced to register rape cases days after being reported. The Scarlett Keeling case of 2008, the mysterious Siddhi Naik case and the gang rape at Benaulim in 2021 are glaring examples of police inaction.
Nonetheless, we hope the department's action will create a new sense of urgency in the police force, and crimes against women will be taken more seriously.
