BENGALURU: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in South India, a dedicated DCRE (Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement) police station will begin functioning from Monday in Karnataka to investigate all cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) reported in the state.
The DCRE was established in Karnataka in 1974 to protect the civil rights of SCs and STs. With this move, the DCRE officials now have the authority to investigate all cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Referred to as the ‘Protection Cell’ for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Karnataka, the DCRE is empowered to ensure justice and fast-track investigations in atrocity cases.
As many as 33 DCRE police stations will be operationalised across the state starting Monday. Bengaluru city alone will have two DCRE stations- East and West. The decision to empower the DCRE with investigative powers has been taken in light of the low conviction rates in atrocity cases.
A senior DCRE officer told TNIE that from April 14, DCRE officials will function with additional powers to investigate all atrocity cases.
He said, “Earlier, the DCRE only looked into cases related to fake caste certificates involving SC/ST communities. Now, the atrocity case being registered anywhere in the state, the local police must inform both the DCRE headquarters in Bengaluru and the respective district DCRE unit,” he said, adding that local police can still investigate the cases.
The DCRE is required to complete the investigation and submit the chargesheet within 60 days to a special court.
The officer further said cases registered from April 14 will be investigated by the DCRE officers as the government order does not apply to cases that were registered earlier.
“Today, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will officially announce the launch of DCRE police stations at Vidhana Soudha during the celebration of Ambedkar Jayanti,” he added.
He also noted that while the DCRE currently has limited staff, it is expected to strengthen the unit by deputing staff as per the sanctioned strength. Based on the number of cases, additional personnel would be sanctioned.
According to a government order outlining the modalities for DCRE police stations, any willful negligence by any officer in the process of registering, investigating, handing over, or taking over atrocity cases will attract provisions under Section 4 of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The order further states that the jurisdictional Superintendent of Police or Commissioner shall provide security or deploy additional police personnel whenever required by DCRE police officers for arresting accused persons, providing custody, or assisting in any part of the investigation. Any law and order situation arising from such cases will remain the responsibility of the jurisdictional police, the order added.