Giving a wake-up call to the Government, a Parliamentary panel has cautioned that mega cities could become a “dangerous place” for women and children if stringent measures were not taken to curb the growing incidents of crime against women.
The Committee on Empowerment of Women, which tabled the 74-page report in the just concluded Budget Session of Parliament, noted that 33,789 cases of crime against women were reported from 53 mega cities with over 10 lakh population in 2011 as compared to 24,335 in 2010.
“These statistical inputs explicitly point out to the fact that all the mega cities in the country, which are equipped with relatively modern police apparatus, are being transformed as safe haven for criminals and anti-social elements who have scant regard for laws, law enforcement agencies and legal system,” the panel said.
The panel headed by Rajkumari Ratna Singh said the mega cities are turning “safe havens” for criminals despite having adequate police apparatus. They called for a need for sincere effort to overhaul the “tattered policing system” in the country. The committee asked the Government to set up an expert group to study the growing trend of crime against women and children in mega cities and suggest “practical solutions” to curb the menace.
Referring to the gruesome rape of a woman in a moving bus on December 16, last year, the panel said that the spate of crimes against women in mega cities has not been contained. The panel remarked, “Cases of rape, molestation, abduction of women and children have become a “daily, shameful affair”.