Victims hostile due to societal norms: Police

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Chandan Kumar N, assistant commissioner of police,Sadashivanagar,explained : “I have seen that these cases happen a lotin rural areas. If these kinds of cases happen, the survivor’s family won’t come forward to file an FIR. If at all it comes, they keep in mind the financial aspect. Once the accused comes out of jail, they (the family of the survivor) will either approach him for marriage or they will ask for compromise.”

About victims, he said: “If you see statistics from rural areas, most end up with the complainant being hostile or the witnesses being hostile, so the case gets dismissed. A girl who gave 164 statements against a person, when presented in court, said she was afraid so she said the wrong things.”

Asked about the reason , he said: “This may happen because of pressure from the family or maybe everything is too over-

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whelming for victim.”

Madhu Bhushan, a member of Gajanan Mahila Morcha, spoke about the complications of Pocso cases. Elaborating the difference, she said: “In instances where the boy says he wants to marry the girl or the girl says she wants to marry the boy, then I don’t think it should be criminalised. In that case, you should talk to them and provide them counselling. We ask them to wait until the girl is an adult and is in a better position to make her decisions. Here it becomes a question of choice and girl’s mental and emotional capacity.” siddhi.c@iijnm.org

An article in The Print said since the Pocso Act does not recognise as permissible any form of sexual contact between children or with a child, judges have preferred to acquit the accused if the victim turns hostile, if the victim is pregnant and is married to the accused, or if there is an offer to marry.

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