Support officers helping in speedy depositions of witnesses in rape cases in Himachal

In cases of minor girls, sign language is used as they cannot explain the incident and problem through words, said Neera Devi, the victim and witness support officer at a fast-track court POCSO in Mandi district.

Constable Neera Devi has helped victims of sexual offences in nearly 600 cases over the past few years as part of a state police programme to support them as the cases go to court. Little girls face a lot of problems in dealing with the trauma, especially when they have to see the accused, who majority of the time is either a close family member or acquaintance, she said, adding, ''We ensure that the accused are kept away from them and their faces are not shown to the minors.'' ''Empathy is very important. Firstly, we inspire confidence in these kids. In cases of minor girls, sign language is used as they cannot explain the incident and problem through words,'' said Neera Devi, the victim and witness support officer at a fast-track court (POCSO) in Mandi district. She was recently awarded a commendation 'Class–I' certificate and a cash reward for her outstanding work. Nira Devi tells that her line of work is far from easy. Recalling an incident of the Sarkaghat area in the Mandi district, she said, this particular case was more strenuous than others as the victim and her mother here were mentally challenged and the accused was the minor’s father. The trauma faced by this kid was difficult to put into words, the head constable added.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the accused are known to the victim in more than 90 per cent of sexual offence cases.

In such cases, it is not uncommon for the accused to try to pressurise or persuade the victim and witnesses to turn hostile. Sometimes, family members of victims also do not cooperate in the legal process. Himachal Pradesh claims to be the first state in the country to deploy 26 graduate female police constables as victim and witness support officers to offer a female interface to rape survivors and help them navigate the legal system. Referring to the infamous 2017 Gudiya rape and murder case, police officials said in the aftermath of the case in which a 16-year-old schoolgirl was raped and murdered by a 28-year-old man, several steps were taken to ensure the safety of women in the state to improve conviction rate by ensuring speedy deposition by the victims and witnesses. These support officers act as a layer between the police and courts and offer comfort to the victims by providing security and instilling confidence in them, Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu said. The support officers' role is useful given that the trial process is often long and arduous and a majority of the victims are unfamiliar with it and end up being frustrated.

The victims and witness support officers were added to the whole process to ensure speedy and effective prosecution of crimes and to provide a sympathetic female interface between the victims, witnesses, prosecutors and the court during trial, the DGP said. The lady officers enable victims to depose in the court in a fearless manner without social pressure and mental stress, Kundu said, adding that speedy depositions by witnesses and police have led to a decline in the pendency of cases and have expedited trials in courts. According to data, as many as 2,350 witnesses and 2,382 police personnel have been deposed in the court in the past ten months since July 2022. A total of 543 cases of rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were registered in the state in 2022, out of which the courts have taken a decision in 170 cases and 40 per cent of the accused have been convicted. In 2021, there were 612 registered cases of rape and POCSO, out of which the courts have given a verdict in 67 cases. According to police, Himachal Pradesh, which is the first state to start a register of sexual offenders, has over 4,300 such offenders with 55 of them being repeat offenders.