Patna, Sept. 29: Women offenders in Bihar will get a buffer time till dawn if the crime is committed after dark.

The state police personnel, from now, cannot arrest or take a woman on police remand for questioning after sunset, barring special occasions.

A directive in this regard has been issued by none other than the director-general of police (DGP), Abhayanand.

The DGP has laid certain guidelines for the arrest or detention of a woman for questioning in the police station at night.

The investigating officers will have to seek the permission of the first-class judicial magistrate before arresting a woman or take her on police remand for questioning, after sunset.

Moreover, the investigating officers have been asked to take permission from the deputy inspectors-general (DIGs) through the superintendents of police (SPs) for taking a woman on remand for interrogation in any criminal case.

“Without the permission of the police officers concerned, no cop will move the court seeking police remand of any woman accused,” the DGP’s missive said, adding that prior permission was mandatory for taking any woman accused on remand for interrogation.

In addition, the investigating officers will have to ensure that there was a separate woman hazat (lock-up for keeping prisoners in custody) at the police station and the accused woman had been kept under the protection of a woman constable or a female officer.

Female constables, while going to conduct a raid at the house of a woman at night, should accompany the police team.

Warrants pending against women should preferably be executed before sunset or in the wee hours, the new directive said.

“All the SPs will have to ensure that the guidelines are followed by the officers under their jurisdiction,” the DGP said.

The DGP’s fresh guidelines for the junior cops have been issued in the wake of rising number of complaints of harassment of women in police custody.