Child rights panel wants law classes for Meghalaya cops

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Tuesday instructed Meghalaya Police to undergo training on laws relating to women and child rights.

The instruction came a day after the child rights panel reprimanded police in connection with the alleged rape of two minors in South West Garo Hills district by a police officer.

"We were surprised to find that Meghalaya Police are unaware of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000 while dealing with heinous crimes committed on minors," NCPCR member Yogesh Dube told journalists.

"Though sexual offences are covered under IPC (Indian Penal Code), the IPC does not define sexual offences against children and makes no distinction between adult and child victims," he said.

On Monday, the NCPCR expressed its unhappiness over the way the Meghalaya police handled the case of the alleged rape of two minor girls by Sub-Inspector Nurul Islam, who escaped from custody.

Islam, who was in charge of the Ampati police station, was arrested Saturday on charges of molesting and raping two sisters. He escaped from police custody Sunday from Tura, the district headquarters town of West Garo Hills.

The Meghalaya government statistics reveal that in 2012, 255 crimes were reported against women, of which 164 were rapes.