Cop school lacked complaints panel

The sex scandal at the Kolhapur Police Training Centre has exposed the failure of law-enforcers to adhere to a significant rule that requires every organisation to have a women's grievance cell

Cop school lacked complaints panel

The sex scandal at the Kolhapur Police Training Centre has exposed the failure of law-enforcers to adhere to a significant rule that requires every organisation to have a women's grievance cell.

This happened despite the fact that the State Commission for Women committee members had made a presentation before the training authorities stressing the need to appoint a committee as per the Vishakha guidelines, which were prepared to tackle sexual harassment of women at the workplace. A member of the fact-finding committee appointed by the State Commission for Women said that top police officers, however,
insisted a grievance cell existed at police stations across the state.

But the member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said these were for ordinary citizens to lodge complaints and did not take up the issue of women within the police organisation.u00a0The member pointed out that of the 10 instructors at the Kolhapur training school only two are women and of the 89 instructors at the Nagpur Police Training Centre only five are women.

Gross violation
Former Judge S S Padale, who is also a member of the fact-finding committee, said absence of a grievance cell for women was a gross violation of the Vishakha guidelines. Padale said according to the guidelines, the complaints committee should be headed by a woman, and not less than half of its member should be women. Also, to prevent any undue pressure or influence from senior officers, the complaints committee should involve a third party, such as an NGO that is familiar with the issue of sexual harassment.

After the victim submitted her application before Kolhapur Inspector General B D More, it was forwarded to Deputy Superintendent of Police Sanjay Jadhav of Shauwadi region and probationary officer Deputy Superintendent of Police Meena Makwana was then appointed to help him.

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