Haryana to name, shame rapists on govt website

The names of those convicted in cases related to crime against women, including rape, molestation and dowry deaths in the last 13 years will be put up on the official website of the Haryana Police Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) and also on various social networking sites, including Facebook, a senior Police official said here today.

The Haryana police has started the process to put names, addresses and crime details of around 2,500 convicted rapists in the past about a decade on the website, the official said, adding the process would be completed by January 10.

"The motive of putting the names in public domain is two-fold - one to make the society at large aware of such persons in their neighbourhood and second the action is part of unusual steps to check such crimes," Director, State Crime Record Bureau, Madhuban (Karnal) Laik Ram Dabas told PTI.

The action by the SCRB, a wing of the Haryana Police, came in the wake of rising number of cases of rape and other crimes against women in Haryana and against the backdrop of the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi who later died in Singapore.

Dabas said that by January 10 names of around 6,000 persons convicted by various courts in Haryana for four types of crimes including rape in the past 13 years will be put up on the website of the SCRB.

After that the names would also be put up on social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter by opening links, he added.

Besides 2,500 people convicted of rape, the other convictions invovled 1,000 persons, including 100 women, in dowry death cases, 1,000 persons in cases of cruelty against women and 1,500 persons for outraging modesty of women.

"Since the usual steps have been found to be insufficient in containing such crimes unusual steps were needed to tackle the problem," he said, adding, that putting the names of the convicts in public domain was one of such unusual step.

"Putting of the names in public domain is expected to act as a deterrent for potential criminals," Dabas claimed, adding that legally the name of any person who has been convicted can be published, advertised and put on websites.

He said that names of under trials in cases of crime against women will not be put up on the website of the SCRB "as guilt and involvement of accused in such cases is yet to be proved in a court of law."