IGP Mamta Singh says since most rapists are known to victims, the problem seems to be that women and their families have ‘too much faith’ in men around them.
Chandigarh: Haryana has witnessed nine cases of rape in the past one week alone, raising serious questions about the competence of the police, their sensitivity to such crimes and the larger issue of the increased targeting of women in a state known for its patriarchy and the worst sex ratio in the country.
Going by cold figures, the numbers are not shocking. The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that Haryana witnessed 1,187 rapes in 2016, roughly three rapes a day. Of these, 191 were gang rapes, the highest in the country. In almost half the rape cases, the victim was less than 18 years old. And these figures do not include incidents where the victim was murdered as they are counted as murders.
The data highlights two significant facts about Haryana:
- The number of gang rapes in the state is five times higher than the national average.
- The police’s rate of disposal of cases for crimes against women is the second lowest in the country at 56.2 per cent (Rajasthan is the lowest).
Inspector-General of Police Mamta Singh, a 1996 batch IPS officer who heads the ‘Prevention of Crime Against Women Cell’, spoke to ThePrint about the worrying trend. Excerpts:
Why is Haryana failing so abysmally in controlling crimes against women?
When an unknown woman is picked up and raped, it could be seen as criminals lacking a fear of the law. But if you look at rape figures in Haryana, as also in most other states, in a majority of cases, rapists are known to the victims. In these cases, circumstances that led to rape are not entirely a result of the police not doing enough.
There is an additional element of the victim or her family having too much faith in those around them, and inadvertently allowing ‘rapists’ into their homes, or agreeing to meet them outside, not realising that it could be dangerous.
Why are victims and their families dealt with insensitively by the police?
This perception was true to some extent until a few years ago. Those manning police stations are now more sensitive to such complaints. But a complete transformation will take time. Remember, police also comes from the same society as the victim or the criminal. Haryana’s patriarchal, male-dominated society tends to first judge the woman’s actions.
We are trying to drive into the head of even the junior-most police official that when a woman approaches with a complaint, she is to be believed and an FIR registered.
Police investigations have left much to be desired. Rapists have gone scot free in about 50 per cent of the cases in Haryana.
I agree that investigation needs to be improved, especially collection of evidence. We are training our officials to be thorough in gathering scientific/non-scientific evidence in rape cases.
Look, rape cases are largely dependent of the statement of the prosecutrix. But our evidence collection has to be so strong that even in cases where the victim resiles from her statement, the court should be able to nail the rapists.
Is there a fair number of cases where victims retract?
There are many cases, more than you’d think, where what is made out to be rape is consensual sex. It could be a relationship gone wrong; an elopement that did not lead to marriage; a minor girl in a physical relationship; an extramarital affair that comes out in the open; a family feud; or as seen in some cases, rogue girls trying to make money.
My experience has shown that generally in such cases, the girl backs out, and if the police do not have enough corroborative evidence, the accused go scot free.
However, in most genuine rape cases, the victim and her family stay strong until the end, and we also have a lot of evidence to back their claims. Such cases lead to convictions.
Is it not true that rape victims, especially Dalits, are forced to retract by village panchayats?
In Haryana, khap panchayats have a strong hold on the villages. Their sense of right and wrong is very sharp, even if we might think it is skewed.
In my knowledge, there is rarely any interference of the khap or village panchayats in rape cases.
Why are so many gang rapes occurring in Haryana?
It easier to commit a crime with the help of others. A single man may not be able to abduct a girl alone while she is trying to run away. Men gang up and generate a common intent, and it is easy after that.
How do you explain the increasing brutality in rapes?
It is a puzzle for me as well. Before the 2012 Nirbhaya case, as a police officer or even otherwise, I don’t remember hearing cases of brutality like the rapists are inserting objects into a woman. Perhaps, in the mind of the rapist, the crueller he is towards his victim, the bigger kick he gets. He looks for ways to cause more pain to the victim.
The police need to do more to keep women safe in public spaces, but something is going very wrong in our society as well. Even I do not recall instances of brutality of the sort that are now being reported.