Chandigarh, Oct 1 (IANS) Put on the defensive by at least four cases of alleged gang-rape in the state in September, Haryana Police Monday asked its top brass to keep a tab on the activities of ‘loafer’ youths and those indulging in anti-social behaviour.
Director General of Police (DGP) R.S. Dalal said the police force launched a special state-wide drive requiring all officers – from ranks of inspector to Inspector General of Police (IGP) – to visit villages and towns under their jurisdiction “to ascertain the activities of loafer youths and those having anti-social behaviour and keep an eye on such elements”.
Dalal was interacting with range IGPs, police commissioners and superintendents of police through video-conferencing from the police headquarters in Panchkula, near here.
“The DGP directed the officers that they would regularly visit villages and towns in their respective areas and identify the loafer youth,” a police spokesman said here.
“Apart from this, regular and surprise checking of farms, huts at tube-wells, grocery shops and dhabas would be made by police and strict action would be taken against those who were found involved in unauthorised sale of liquor and drinking of liquor at such places,” he said.
Haryana has been rocked by four sensational cases of gang-rapes in September. These cases were reported from Hisar, Jind, Sonipat and Bhiwani districts.
In one case in Hisar, the Dalit father of a 16-year-old girl, who was raped by eight youths and four others who filmed the act on their mobile phones, committed suicide Sep 18 after he came to know of the incident and that her MMS was circulated by the rapists.
In the Jind rape case, a married woman was raped at gun-point by three men inside her house in the presence of her family. Her MMS was also circulated.
Dalal directed police officers to meet prominent residents in their areas to know the activities of such youths so that timely action could be taken against them in case they indulged in criminal activities.
The DGP also directed police officers to contact principals of women’s educational institutes and to deploy police personnel in civil clothes near such institutions to prevent harassment and other crimes against women.
Dalal claimed that despite the recent gang-rape cases being reported, the rate of crime against women in the state has dropped by 15 percent in current year as compared to the last year.
