Cases of domestic violence are priority during lockdown: Rachakonda CP

Hyderabad: Telangana has been reporting rape cases even during the lockdown. Amidst this, the Rachakonda police have decided to prioritise cases of domestic violence.

Commissioner of police -Rachakonda - Mahesh M. Bhagwat,said, “During the lockdown, the Rachakonda commissionerate has been receiving petitions, through various social media platforms, regarding crimes against women. We noticed that during the lockdown there may be cases of domestic violence in our commissionerate which are not being reported due to restriction on movement and lack of public transport.”

He further said, “We inform all women of Rachakonda commissionerate that all cases of domestic violence will be taken up as first priority and, as per the willingness of the victims, counseling will be given to family members at their respective homes.”

The commissioner said family counseling centers in Saroornagar, Uppal, Kushaiguda, Vanasthalipuram, Neredmet, and Bhongir have professional counselors and the identity of the victims will be kept confidential.

Crimes against women in Rachakonda commissionerate can be reported by dialing 100, through the WhatsApp control number 9490617111 or local She teams and other social media platforms like Facebook

Official figures accessed by NewsMeter reveal that the state recorded a 64 per cent drop in the number of rape cases post COVID-19 lockdown.

From 15 to 21 March, around 12 cases were reported compared to 34 in the preceding week. However, 18 rape cases were recorded in the first nine days of April. Similarly, cases of molestation of women have declined by 90 per cent compared to the preceding week. Between 15 and 21 March, only one molestation case was recorded compared to 13 in the preceding week.

Additional commissioner of police- Hyderabad,Shikha Goel, said there might be instances of violence against women which may not have been reported. “Since people are forced to remain inside the house such incidents may occur. Further, there may be a hesitation to step outside and report this to the police. Nevertheless, SHE Team helplines are functional and women can register complaints,” she said.