CHENNAI/MADURAI: The state police on Saturday issued a clarification stating a recent directive of the Additional Director General of Police on avoiding deployment of woman cops on bandobast duties was meant to ensure priority on investigation and prosecution of cases of Pocso and crimes against women and children.
This comes after a section of activists, lawyers and academicians condemned the directive, calling it “unconstitutional” and “discriminatory” towards women.
The clarification, however, said the primary objective of this instruction was to ensure that woman police personnel, who play an indispensable role in recording statements and investigating the sensitive cases of crimes against women and children, are not diverted unnecessarily.
In the statement, TN DGP said the ADGP (Law and Order) had given this advice in a video conference with all state police officers on June 30.
As per legal provisions, it is mandatory to file final reports in Pocso cases within 60 days. The pendency in such cases requires immediate attention and keeping this in mind, it was advised not to excessively draw woman police personnel for bandobast duties.
The statement clarified that woman police personnel are an integral part of policing in Tamil Nadu, which is a pioneer in recruiting woman police personnel into the police department to carry out the policing tasks.
Woman police personnel are being engaged in bandobast duty and will continue to be engaged, wherever it is necessary, for tasks such as to regulate the women crowd in demonstrations, public meetings, protests, during the visits of VVIPs, etc.
The statement clarified that as per the law, certain tasks in policing shall be carried out by woman police personnel only, like arrest of women accused, enquiring and recording the statements of women accused or woman witnesses or children, handling the women crowd in bandobusts, etc.
As only woman police personnel are posted in All Women Police Stations to handle the petitions and cases relating to women and children, they are not taken for other bandobast duties in a routine manner, and will be drawn for bandobast duty only when it is necessary, to ensure that the day-to-day work in AWPS is not disturbed, it said.
The instruction given by the ADGP regarding the utilisation of woman police personnel should be seen in this context, the statement said.