Bihar DGP Directs Strict Action on SC/ST Atrocities Cases, Mandates 60-Day Investigation Timeline

Bihar Director General of Police Vinay Kumar has directed the Superintendents of Police of all the districts of the state that no laxity will be tolerated in the investigation of the cases of Scheduled Caste-Tribe Atrocities Prevention Act. The investigation of the cases registered under this Act in the Scheduled Caste-Tribe police stations of the districts as well as in general police stations should be completed in 60 days.

The DGP said this while addressing the inaugural session of the one-day training-cum-sensitization workshop related to the provisions of the Scheduled Caste-Tribe Atrocities Prevention Act organized in the auditorium located at Sardar Patel Bhawan, Police Headquarters on Tuesday. This training-cum-sensitization workshop was jointly organized by CID (Weaker Sections) and Scheduled Caste-Tribe Welfare Department of Bihar Government.

On this occasion, Director General of Police of Crime Investigation Department (Weaker Sections) of Bihar Police, Amit Kumar Jain, along with the station heads of Scheduled Caste-Tribe police stations posted in various districts of the state, senior officers were also present.

Strict action will be taken against negligent officers

The DGP of Bihar has also directed that strict action will be taken against police officers who are negligent in the investigation of cases registered under the Scheduled Castes-Tribes Atrocities Act. The investigating officers who keep the cases registered under this Act pending will be suspended with immediate effect.

Slow pace of getting punishment to the accused

The DGP said that the pace of getting punishment to the culprits in the cases registered under the Scheduled Castes-Tribes Act should be accelerated. Every year in Bihar, an average of 6 to 7 thousand cases are registered under the Scheduled Castes-Tribes Atrocities Act, but the pace of getting punishment to the accused in these cases is low. Last year i.e. in the year 2023-24, the average of getting punishment in the cases registered has been less than 10 percent.

SC-ST police station is established in all 40 police districts

He said that Bihar is the first state in the country, where Scheduled Caste-Tribe police stations are functioning in all 40 police districts. Whereas SC/ST police stations are functioning in only 140 districts of different states of the country. Officers from SC/ST category have been deployed in all SC/ST police stations of Bihar. He instructed the SHOs and SDPOs of these police stations to speed up the process of getting punishment in cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Act. Along with this, he said that due to SC/ST police stations functioning in all the districts of Bihar, the number of cases registered here under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Atrocities Prevention Act is also more than other states of the country.

Investigate fake cases and settle them immediately

The DGP also admitted that due to the high number of SC/ST police stations in Bihar, the number of cases registered here is also more than other states of the country. Many fake cases are also registered here under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Atrocities Act. He also directed the officers involved in the investigation of the cases to investigate such fake cases and settle them immediately so that the conspiracies of implicating any innocent person in fake cases can be exposed.