BHUBANESWAR: The much-needed Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW&CW) of Odisha Police seems to be taking shape with the State government deciding to make it operational under the Crime Branch (CB) until a special police station is set up.In the wake of the Nayagarh minor girl rape and murder incident, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in December last year had announced creation of the special wing to investigate into offences against women and children.
At a high-level meeting here recently, it has been decided that all important cases related to crimes against women and children now under investigation by the CB will be monitored by the wing headed by an IG-rank officer. The CAW&CW will have State-wide jurisdiction and will be notified as a police station soon. “But, till then all cases for CAW&CW will be registered at CID police station. All cases of crime against women and children registered at different police stations in the State will be transferred to the wing,” said a Home department official.
The special wing will study trends and patterns of all categories of crimes against women and children across the State in order to develop strategies for detection, prosecution and prevention of such crimes and for developing improved counselling strategies to deal with victims as well as juvenile offenders.It will monitor investigations in specific important cases of crimes against women and children in order to ensure successful prosecution. It will co-ordinate with other State police forces, CBI and Interpol for dealing with organised criminal gangs indulging in human trafficking. Special community policing initiatives will be adopted to stop crimes against women and children, the official said.
The new wing will also deal with offences related to IT Act, misuse of internet and social media for committing crime against women and children.A legal advisor in the rank of a public prosecutor will be appointed. Apart from extending legal advice, the officer will scrutinise investigation reports and chargesheets, identify common defects of investigation and conduct remedial programmes for the investigating officers.
ADG (Crime Branch) Sanjeeb Panda said the approval for the special wing has been obtained and 60 posts including two Additional SPs, 10 DSPs, four inspectors and 10 sub-inspectors besides one cyber forensic expert and an IT expert have been sanctioned. “The wing will monitor all cases and investigate special and important cases like the Crime Branch. We have proposed the State Forensic Science Laboratory building to be its headquarter. The wing will function once the manpower is recruited in the next couple of months,” he said.
NCRB data
20,274 crimes against women in 2018
23,183 in 2019
Odisha was ranked second after Uttar Pradesh
5,217 crimes against children in 2018
7,012 in 2019
2,984 rape cases registered in 2020