States like Delhi and UP having specialised forces like anti-Romeo or anti-stalking units to curb the menace of stalking girls and women by street chaps, emphasises how the phenomenon is becoming grave nationally. Odisha stood not immune to the growing vice as it has recorded a big spurt of over 86 per cent in stalking cases since recognition of stalking as a crime under Section 354 D of IPC was effected in 2013 in the country.
According to data available with the State police, a high of around 250 cases of stalking were recorded in Odisha in 2016 vis-à-vis 134 in 2014. When the crime rate of rapes high obsession the person has. Obsession is the biggest motivator behind every heinous crime.
Therefore, to curb crime against women, nipping stalking activities in bud is very important. And bringing up anti-Romeo/stalking units in high crime-density districts is the need of the hour,” observed a former Chairperson of the State Commission for Women.
She added that even the Twin City Commissionerate of Police of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack has no anti-stalking unit tough recently parents held a sit-in protest in front of the Kendriya Vidyalaya-1 demanding action against stalkers of their wards. Interestingly, the Commissionerate’s statistics have no cases to show against stalking last year but have registered around 12 cases under eve-teasing, which is not as stringent as Section 354D of IPC.
Moreover, the State as a whole has a very poor record in the conviction rate in cases of stalking as the rate in 2016 stood at a mere 0.8 per cent.
CRIMINAl OBSESSION
*Odisha recorded 250 stalking cases
*276 stalkers were charge-sheeted
*But only two stalkers were convicted
*Only 116 stalkers charge-sheeted in 2014
*2014 recorded only 134 stalking cases