Patna : Bihar’s Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar has warned that negligence in investigating cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will not be tolerated. DGP Vinay Kumar directed Superintendents of Police across all districts to ensure that investigations into such cases, whether registered at SC/ST police stations or general police stations, are completed within 60 days.
Vinay Kumar issued the directive while speaking at the inaugural session of a one-day training and sensitisation workshop on the provisions of the SC/ST Act. The event, held at Sardar Patel Bhawan at Police Headquarters, was jointly organised by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) for Weaker Sections and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Welfare Department of the Bihar government. Senior officials, including Amit Kumar Jain, Director General of Police (CID), and Station House Officers (SHOs) from SC/ST police stations across Bihar, were present at the workshop.
‘No Laxity Will Be Tolerated’
The DGP emphasised that any police officer found negligent in investigating cases under the SC/ST Act would face strict action, including immediate suspension. He said that cases registered under the Act should not be left pending and directed officers to expedite the resolution of such cases.
DGP Vinay expressed concern over the slow pace of convictions in cases under the Act. Although 6,000 to 7,000 cases are registered annually in Bihar, the conviction rate remains alarmingly low, with less than 10 percent of cases resulting in punishment during the 2023–24 period.
Bihar Leads in Establishing SC/ST Police Stations
Bihar remains the first state in India to establish SC/ST police stations in all 40 police districts. In contrast, only 140 districts in other states have such dedicated police stations. Kumar highlighted that only officers from SC/ST communities have been deployed at these stations, and he urged SHOs and Sub-Divisional Police Officers (SDPOs) to expedite convictions in cases registered under the SC/ST Act.
The DGP noted that Bihar’s extensive network of SC/ST police stations has led to a higher number of cases being registered compared to other states. However, he acknowledged that this has also resulted in a rise in false cases, which need to be addressed swiftly.
Crackdown on False Cases
Vinay Kumar instructed police officers to exercise caution while investigating false cases filed under the SC/ST Act. He stressed the importance of identifying and resolving such cases immediately to prevent innocent individuals from being falsely implicated. He warned that any delay in addressing fake cases would not be tolerated and that prompt action should be taken to expose such conspiracies.
