Special Units to check crime against women

To ensure speedy dispensation of justice in cases of crime against women, Special Investigation Units (SIUs) will be formed in all states across India. The proposal to set up these SIUs, was cleared in October 2015 by the central government. 

The government has said that the special units will be constituted on a 50:50 cost sharing basis with the central and state government funds.

The MHA has approved several projects planned by the Ministry of Women and Child Development last year, under the Nirbhaya fund, including the setting up of the special units to expedite the process of investigation in cases of crimes against women in all states. The Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said, “The Special Investigation Units will be paid for out of the Nirbhaya Fund. The home ministry has sanctioned the project, which will be implemented at a cost of Rs 324 crore.”

Explaining the functioning of these SIUs, a senior WCD official said, “Quite a number of proposals had been sanctioned last year by the MHA for the WCD Ministry. The Special Investigative Units in all states will be paid for out of Nirbhaya Fund.  This proposal was actually cleared in October last year.”

The official said, “The MHA will be setting up these SIUs in each state. Each of these SIUs exclusively will be dealing with offences against women. This project is on a 50:50 cost sharing basis with the states. Fifty per cent of the money being dispensed comes from the Nirbhaya Fund and the rest 50 per cent comes from state funds”

“The idea is that these crimes which include sexual assault, dowry deaths and acid attacks etc should be investigated quickly and the culprits should be brought to justice,” added the official.

The MHA in 2015 had launched the two projects – SIUs and Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) - to support victims of rape, acid attack, dowry deaths and human trafficking and to enhance the capacity of state governments to investigate heinous crimes against women respectively. “Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) with an amount of Rs 200 crore has also been sanctioned for providing compensation to women victims,” added the official.