Saturday, January 8 2005 13:02 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: The accused in cases of atrocities against women in some areas of West Bengal often go scot-free since the police do not register FIRs against them owing to their political connections, according to chairperson for the National Commission for Women (NCW), Purnima Advani.

''From my friends in the NGOs, I get information that in the distant places of West Bengal, FIRs against the accused in are not registered because of political connections... The State Government is in complete agreement with me,'' Advani said at a press conference in Kolkata last evening (Jan 7, 2005).

Stating that the police must be allowed to function as an autonomous organisation in curbing crimes against women, the political parties must take it upon themselves not to interfere for the accused in such crimes.

The NCW chairperson, who met Home Secretary Amit Kiran Deb, DGP Shyamal Dutta and Commissioner of city Police Prasun Mukherjee earlier in the day, said that although incidents of crime against women had shown an increase in the State, the situation could not be described as alarming as long as the women could register their grievances with the police.

''It is however, heartening to note that West Bengal is the first State to have the women's helpdesk in the police station connected to the DGP, enabling him to receive direct daily reports about crimes against women,'' she said.

Advani, however, said that the rise in crimes against women should not prompt the Government to desist from recording such incidents. ''The Government should adopt a policy in this regard so that crimes against women may be brought down.''