Women victim can file report at any police station under Zero FIR : Ng Ratana
Source: IT News

Imphal, March 27 2021: Any victims of the crime related to women and children can be reported at any police station of the country irrespective of the area where the offence is committed.

And the police station simply cannot claim that they have no jurisdiction and it is called Zero FIR.

This was stated by Ng Ratana , Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime Against Women), Imphal West district while delivering speech as resource person in the One Day Consultation program on the need of strategic reform of approach to curb crime against women organized by the Women For Development at Classic Hotel Imphal today .

Speaking as the resource person on the challenges faced by the police on dealing Crime Against Women and Children , Ratana said that sometimes investigation is delayed as the Investigating Officer of any crime related with women and children are also bound to go on for duty related to law and order problem.

"There are not many women police officers that are designated to investigate the matter and sometimes a single women police officer have to handled nearly 50 cases as issues related to crime against women cannot be handled by male police officers", the Additional SP , Crime Against Women said.

"You can file any report at any police station at any places of the country under Zero FIR", Ratana reminded.

The concept of zero FIR is new.

It refers to a FIR that is registered irrespective of the area where the offence is committed.

The police in such a case can no longer claim that they have no jurisdiction.

Such a FIR is then later transferred to the police station that has the actual jurisdiction so that investigation can begin.

It was introduced on the recommendation of the Justice Verma Comittee formed at the backdrop of the brutal Nirbhaya gang rape in Delhi in 2012.[6] This puts a legal obligation on the police to begin investigation and take quick action without the excuse of absence of jurisdiction.

The police also faced problem like proper equipments for DNA testing at the Forensic lab while investigating rape crime related cases.

"There are not many witnesses to certain crime like rape and equipments to prove such matter needs scientific findings, right at the moment we sometime takes more than seven or eight days while waiting for DNA result which we sent at Kolkatta or Guwahati", Ratana said.

U Nobokishore Singh , Secretary , UNM , who also spoke as resource person on the topic Trend and Nature of Violence Committed Against women and Children and way forward to overcome the Challenges said that the way that people are killed in just few days seems like a systematic well plan attempt to eradicate the fortune of the future of Manipur.

He said that the recent incident at which an MBBS student was fund hung to death is suspicious in nature as there were evidences of both his hands tied at back and muddy legs as the room he stayed was clean with tiles on the floor.

"The family of the MBBS student Sanaton was not well to do family and it seems that the killing was done as they assumed that the family will keep silent", Nobokumar said pointing fingers indirectly to the state.

In another case, Nobokumar said that some people are let free to commit crime even by using license gun to threaten family who has no connection with powerful people.

He said that the police even remain silent when they threatened members of a family leaving aside the fact that no FIR has been lodge.

Sobita Mangsatabam, Secretary of WAD in her key note speech categorically presented the rising crime against women during the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

"During the COVID 19 Lock down as many as 17 of rape occurred in the state of Manipur including two gang rape and a rape and murder case.

Of these 11 victims ar under 18 years old ad 6 are adult including three married women", Sobita said.

Superintendent of the Imphal District ICDS Cell , K Balarani also talk on the topic - Role and hallnges of ICD in dealing crime against women and children, President of the Sardar Baptist Church Association, Sanyaola Raman spoke on the Customary and Legal Conflict in dealing with Crime Against Women and Children , Surbala , Pradhan of Waiton Gram Panchayat spoke on the role f Panchayat and experience in dealing with Crime Against Women while, Rinku Khumucham spoke on the Role of Media and Challenges in dealing crime Against Women and Children.

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