Kotkhai case: Police special units lack women staffers
SHIMLA: Even as global petition on rape and murder of school girl in Shimla district’s Kotkhai tehsil raised questions about women safety, different units of Himachal Pradesh, particularly crime investigating departments face shortage of female staffers.
Public anger against the gory crime has put the government in dock while raising questions about police efficiency. In wake of public out rage, police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) but the team, led by inspector general of police (IGP) south range Zahur Zaidih ad no women officers.
The team arrested six persons and concluded that the girl was raped in isolated woods in H ali ala forest and her naked body was dumped in a ditch.
After botched up investigations led to unprecedented public outcry, the police are now planning over to post more women staff in intelligence and crime investigation department, which are understaffed.
The criminal investigation department (CID) wing of the police has total 657 staff members. Majority of women staffers are deputed in office duties and are not directly involved in investigations. But what led to further confusion was that those arrested did not include the persons whose pictures were uploaded on social media, even by CM Virbhadra Singh. “SIT should have had a woman officer. I have strongly advocated for increasing strength of women staff in CID. There should at least be 20% women staff in the CID,” former director general of police ID Bhandari told HT.
Female staffers comprise only 20% of the total 17,277 women force. The government in 2014 announced to set up women police stations across the state but so far, they are functional only in Shimla, Kullu and Dharamshala.
Meanwhile, director general of police( D GP) So mesh Go ya ls aid, “Responsibility for women- related crimes rests largely with the districts which have Mahila Police Stations and anti-human trafficking units (AHTUs)). Women police from Mahila Battalions have been made available to all the districts.”