Ex-police chief for strong action to curb crime against women

Calling for urgent action to stem rise in violence against women, former Punjab Police Chief K P S Gill today rooted for new legislation and police reforms and said amendments in the existing laws alone would not solve the problem.
Terming violence against women as "sexual terrorism", Gill said there is a need to change the mindsets, "if we have to solve this problem".
Speaking at a two-day workshop on 'Improving women's security in India,' jointly organised by Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and Institute of Conflict Management, Gill said the constant clamouring for amendment of existing laws would not solve the problem.

He said the guidelines for investigation by police in such crimes are "outdated" and "largely ignored".
"International norms, techniques, and technologies have gone far beyond the systems that persist in India," he said, adding that strong and urgent action was needed to check the rise in crime against women.
Speaking on the occasion, Director General of BPR&D, Rajan Gupta said society has given high notional status to women by calling them Shakti and Durga, but cruelty against them was rising.
Gupta favoured presence of policewomen in each police station but said, "Why is it that the younger generation of men are behaving in this manner, when they have women in their own house, mothers, wives, sisters..."

Women's rights activist, Ranjana Kumari, also emphasised on police reforms, arguing that laws and procedures designed in 1861 could simply not deal with the complexities of the 21st century.