Uttarakhand HC asks for special teams to probe rape and murder cases

Concerned over rising crime against children, the Uttarakhand High Court has asked the state government to set up special investigation teams in all districts to probe into the cases of rape and murder of minor girls.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the recent rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Uttarkashi district, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Manoj Tiwari ordered yesterday setting up of SITs in all districts to investigate such cases against minor girls.

The bench directed the government to constitute SITs for all 13 districts of the state within 48 hours.

It said the SITs would not only be useful in a speedy probe into the crime against children but would also help in preventing such crimes by being vigilant.

The court directed that each district's SIT would be headed by a senior superintendent of police or superintendent of the police-rank officer and would comprise an assistant superintendent of police, a police inspector, a woman inspector, a psychologist or a psychiatric counselor and a woman social worker, the court said.

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