India is facing a crisis in the women force.
The army’s top brass has said it will not tolerate women’s protests against the state’s “rape culture”, while women’s rights activists are demanding a complete overhaul of the system.
Read full storyThe government has also proposed a new law to give special powers to women in cases of rape and domestic violence.
A senior defence official told NDTV that a “national consensus” has been formed on the draft bill that would amend the Prevention of Rape Act and make it mandatory for the police to act on allegations of rape.
The draft bill, titled ‘Law to give powers to the Chief Judicial Magistrate to take action against accused persons, including the accused women’, was submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Security for further consideration.
“We are looking at the draft law as a framework to create a law which would give the police the powers to take preventive action against alleged rapists and the police will also be given power to take criminal action against the accused persons,” the official said.
The police have also been asked to provide details of all complaints against them and also to lodge a complaint if the complainant refuses to cooperate.
A separate draft bill has also been drafted to give the military and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the right to conduct raids on homes and apartments of suspected rapists and their families.
It has also suggested a mandatory jail term of five years for the accused and five years imprisonment for the victim.
The minister of state for defence, Gopinath Munde, had said last week that women’s empowerment would be a top priority in the military, and the government was committed to giving them the rights they deserve.
“It is a national consensus on the issue.
It will be an important part of the government’s strategy to give women the right of leadership in our armed forces.
There is a strong consensus on this,” he said.
Read moreWomen’s rights groups and some of the country’s top security officials have called for a complete rethink of the current laws.
“The Indian Army has a huge problem with impunity in the Indian Army.
I am confident that the army is going to take steps to get rid of this problem,” said Rachidul Islam, a prominent advocate for women in the armed forces, in an interview with NDTV.
In the past, the Army has repeatedly denied any rape and rape threats.
Last month, in response to a public demand, a senior army officer said the force has been “very strict” in enforcing the law against women who commit adultery.
“There is no sexual harassment.
If a girl is raped, she is raped,” the officer said.
But, in August this year, it emerged that the police had been sending letters to women who reported sexual assault to the police station for a week.
This was despite the fact that the women had accused officers in the case.
In response, the army said it had taken a “very stringent” action against those who had sent letters.
In a statement to NDTV, the government said that the letters had been sent “to ensure that those who commit rape are brought to justice”.
The minister said the letter was sent by the Defence Commission of India (DCOI), an independent body appointed by the government, and it was a matter for the government.
“I am sure that the DCOI will provide us the answers,” he told NDtv.
