With Disha SOS App, police at fingertips of women in an emergency: Sucharitha

Amaravati: Police services are available at women's fingertips in the state, said the Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharitha in an interview with The Hans India. She said more than 1 lakh women in the State have been using the dedicated Disha SOS App and police received thousands of alerts.

All the alerts were attended by the police and the women expressed satisfaction for the quick reaction. Government also tested the app in several ways to deliver effective services in an emergency situation. As part of strengthening infrastructure for implementing the Disha Bills, once the Parliament will clear them, the government allocated Rs 87 cr.

In addition to the existing regular police stations, 18 dedicated Disha Police stations to be established by the end of this month, she said. Thirteen Disha Special Courts are coming across the State, each one at a district. It is planned to establish another two additional Forensic Laboratories in the State each one at Visakhapatnam and Tirupati regions. Already there is one Forensic Laboratory at Amaravati. As the Disha Bills mandated the police and judiciary to deliver justice within three weeks, the investigation mechanism also being equipped to suit that, the Home Minister revealed many details in this interview.

Revealing the circumstances led to the introduction of the AP Disha Bills and Disha SOS App, she said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy over sexual harassment on women and children after seeing two-three incidents happened in the State. More particularly, when a six year girl child was allegedly killed after sexual abuse in the Chittoor district, Jagan discussed the idea of bringing more stringent legal framework to save both women and children from such heinious crimes. She said that, Jagan asked the women Ministers to come up with a good idea to address this ever continuing problem, during a cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, the Disha incident happened in Telangana, where the public expressed satisfaction over the instant justice through encounter.

Despite having stringent laws, the crime against the women and children have been continuing. Hence, the government decided to bring the Disha Bills.

Before the Parliament passes the Disha Bill, the state government is committed to establish the required infrastructure.

Government allocated a total of Rs 87 Cr. Already the government released Rs 18 cr in the first phase and another Rs 49 cr in the second phase.

Disha SOS App services, a Case study;

As soon as the victim presses the SOS button on the Disha SOS App, the first alert will come to the central command centre in Vijayawada, from where the nearby police station will be entrusted the responsibility. All the cases getting through the App are being registered as Zero FIRs.

Explaining a recent incident as a case study, Sucharita said that the police rescued a 16 year minor girl within six minutes after she pressed the SOS button in Anantapur district.

"At an interior small hamlet in Anantapur district, the minor girl attended a local festival. While she alone was returning from the festival at around 12 midnight, a 20 year old boy misbehaved with her. She used the App and sent the SOS. The first alert came to Vijayawada Command centre. Then the Command centre communicated with the local police. The local police reached the girl within the next 6 minutes, by tracking", the Home Minister explained.

She urged the women and children to use the App by installing in their mobiles. The Home Minister said that the union government raised some queries in the Disha Bill, which proposed three Amendments to the CrPC. State government gave clarity on them and she hoped that the Bill would get passed in the Parliament.

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