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| Roshan Warjri |
Shillong, March 13: The newly-inducted Meghalaya home minister, Roshan Warjri, today advocated establishing fast-track courts in all district headquarters in order to tackle crimes against women.
The setting up of such courts was one of the poll promises of the Congress in the Assembly election.
Warjri, the first woman to hold charge of the crucial home department, also said one of the major priorities of the Meghalaya United Alliance-II government was to expedite action. “Speedy delivery of justice is required and the establishment of fast-track courts is necessary,” she said, when asked about the remedial measures available to tackle the increase in crimes against women in Meghalaya.
Another measure, she said, was to strengthen the existing women police stations, which are present in the district headquarters and to explore the possibility of having more such police stations in other areas.
The existing women police stations have been tasked with the work to investigate cases of rape, molestation, kidnapping, eve-teasing, murder for dowry, cruelty by husband/relatives, trafficking of girls below 18 years and of girls between 18 and 21 years, indecent representation of women, among others.
Cases have to be initially registered with the local police station where the crime has occurred. It will take all preliminary steps after which the cases will be subsequently transferred to the relevant woman police station for investigation and prosecution, if they fall under the category of the above cases.
In 2012 alone, there were a total of 236 crimes against women reported across the state and of these, 158 cases were rape-related.
In 2011, 130 cases of rape were reported out of the 269 crimes against women.
Warjri, when asked how she felt after being appointed as the first woman home minister, said, “I am totally committed to the task assigned to me and I call upon all people to work together for the betterment of our state.”
She also harped on inculcation of “moral values” in children as a measure to curb crimes against women in the state. She said there was a need to strengthen the teaching of moral science in school.
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