Speedy probe, strict action must in sexual offence cases: Shah
AHMEDABAD: There must be speedy investigation of rape and sexual offences against women and children, and stringent punishment must be meted out in a timely manner, home minister Amit Shah said on Saturday.
Senior police officers, preferably at the level of additional director general of police, should be assigned the responsibility at police headquarters of each state to monitor all such cases, Shah said, chairing the 25th meeting of the Western Zonal Council at Diu on Saturday, according to an official statement.
Chief ministers of Goa and Gujarat, and administrators of the Union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, ministers from Gujarat and Maharashtra, Union home secretary, chief secretaries from the member states in the western zone, and senior officers from states and Centre attended in the meeting, which was held in Diu for the first time.
The regional councils provide a forum for discussion on issues affecting one or more states, or issues between the central and provincial governments. There have been 18 meetings of various zonal councils and 24 of their standing committees in the past eight years, the statement said.
Out of the 30 topics discussed, 27 have been resolved, and only three remain for further discussion, it said.
Highlighting the importance of the zonal councils that were established under the States Re-organisation Act in 1956, Shah referred to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leverage cooperative and competitive federalism to achieve allround growth of the country.
“The zonal councils provide a platform to foster such collaboration through a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on a continuous basis,” Shah said. Appreciating the role of the councils, he said although they are advisory in character, they help in developing a coordinated approach among the states on important issues of social and economic development through discussions and exchange of views.
The Western Zonal Council on June 11 and its standing committee on January 28 have discussed a total of 36 issues. Out of these, six have been identified as significant at the national level and are being discussed and monitored regularly, the statement said.
SHAH REFERRED TO THE VISION OF NARENDRA MODI TO LEVERAGE COOPERATIVE AND COMPETITIVE FEDERALISM TO ACHIEVE ALLROUND GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY.