TS to go ahead with Zero FIR Police can book cases irrespective of PS jurisdiction

Hyderabad: A high-level meeting of Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Education Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy, Women Development Minister Satyavati Rathod, Panchayat Raj Minister E Dayakar Rao, DGP and other senior officials decided that henceforth any complaint with regard to cases of crime against women should be registered immediately by the police irrespective of the jurisdiction of the offence and the respective police station should get into action.

For this, the Zero FIR System should be followed. Various long and short-term measures have been proposed to evolve a system-driven approach by involving various departments towards safety and security of women and child.

It was also decided to strengthen the She Teams and to make the Hawk-Eye App more user-friendly and its extension to entire state of Telangana. Wide-spread awareness programmes will be taken up in campaign mode among the public especially among girls and women about the available helplines and apps in case of need.

They said wide publicity would be given about Dial 100, 181 and 1098 in case they need police help and the common number 112 for entire nation during emergency. Notice Boards with these helpline numbers will be displayed in all educational institutions from Primary Schools to Colleges. On Public Transport Vehicles, Autos, Cabs etc.

Short films, skits, slides on women safety and police helplines will be telecast on channels and displayed in cinema theatres before the movie begins. Every government office, public place such as bus stands, railway stations, including Metro Station and school textbooks will have the helpline numbers printed.

The Education Department will evolve a system for inculcating the moral values and ethics among the children about respecting a girl/ woman from the primary school level itself.

It was also decided to take the services of Panchayat Secretaries to get the information about youth with abnormal behaviour in the respective village by the police so that a close watch can be kept and their parents be counselled to correct them.

The Government Schools will also conduct Parent-Teacher Meetings as is done in private institutions periodically, so that the behaviour of the students can be checked, and parents are alerted on the behaviour of the children/ youth where all stake-holders are invited for awareness as well as impact assessment. The self-help groups will visit the local police stations and sensitise the police personnel also on the women and children related issues.