Jaipur: Couples who marry on their own will no longer have to worry in Rajasthan as the police will give them protection and assistance in case of any distress. The Rajasthan Police has appointed nodal officers for this in every district and have made public their mobile numbers.
Officers of the rank of Deputy Inspector General and Additional Superintendent of Police have been appointed as the nodal officer and assistant nodal officer at the state level respectively while officers of the rank of Deputy Police Superintendents to Police Inspectors have been appointed in the districts.
Nodal officers appointed for protection
Additional Director General of Police Smita Srivastava said that in compliance with the orders of the Rajasthan High Court, nodal officers were appointed in this regard. These officers can be contacted for assistance and protection.
The move is being taken as a measure to give protection to couples who marry inter-caste or inter-religion.
Notably, the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly passed 'The Rajasthan Prohibition of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances in the Name of Honour and Tradition Bill' against honor killing in August 2019 but it could not become an act as it is waiting for the clearance of President of India.
Rajasthan dead against honour killing
The bill has the provision of punishment of the death penalty or life imprisonment for murdering couples in the name of family honour. The state government thought that sections of the IPC and the CrPc were not adequate in dealing with such cases and had stated in the assembly “the bill has been introduced so that people overcome the narrow mindset.”
Renuka Pamecha, a social activist who is running Mahila Salaah Suraksha Kendras in the state said that the bill is still to be cleared by the President, so the cases of honor killing are still being registered under the sections of IPC and CrPC.
"It is okay that the Police have come up with such a list of nodal officers as the court has directed them but where are the couple shelter homes which we have been demanding for a long time? Many couples approach us but we have no space to shelter them. People don't even know where to approach. We keep on writing to the government but nothing has happened yet," said Renuka.
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