Of these, less than 40 per cent of cases are registered under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act (POA) and Protection of Civil Right (PCR) Act — a fact that has Maharashtra Police slightly worried. “The exercise has been undertaken to find out the reason behind such low number of complaints (from people from SC and ST communities),” Quaiser Khalid, Special IGP, Protection of Civil Right (PCR), Maharashtra Police, told The Indian Express. The PCR cell of Maharashtra Police oversees implementation of the PCR Act and SC/ST Act in the state. Besides undertaking the survey, Maharashtra Police and the Social Welfare Department have started a sensitisation drive — for both police officials and people from SC/ST communities across the state. “The drive is also being carried out in Amravati…to educate and sensitise policemen so that they can assist members of SC and ST communities to lodge a complaint whenever they approach police.

Source: Indian Express September 06, 2016 21:33 UTC