Will shoot rapists on the spot if Constitution permits: Delhi police chief

If the Constitution permits shooting or hanging on spot, Delhi Police "will not refrain" from doing so to people who commit heinous crimes against women, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi said on Monday.

Sharing points from his analysis of crime against women in the national capital, Bassi said 70 per cent of the perpetrators in rape cases belong to the age group 21-35 years.

He further said, "Crime-mapping analysis of the city suggested that any woman in a locality is surrounded by anything between 250-400 men who would not think twice before assaulting a woman."

Speaking at Delhi Police's annual press conference on Monday, the commissioner used as examples two rape cases in which the victims were two months old and 80 years old respectively.

He also said that women need to be trained in self-defence, which can help in tackling the steep rise in instances of crime against women.

"Analysis also suggests that 60-65 per cent of women victims are between 15-30 years old. Their self-defence expertise shall be a sure counter to sick mindset men," Bassi said.

"I have often been criticised for my views on self-defence, mostly by groups who know how to shed crocodile tears.

"If the Constitution permits shooting... if it permits hanging on spot, Delhi Police will not refrain from doing so to people who indulge in heinous crimes against women. But we are committed to human rights," the police chief said.

He further clarified that promoting self-defence for women doesn't mean that the police is shedding its responsibilities of protecting every citizen.

"The police's objective is to build up capacity and it has been so even when I was not a part of the security force. In this regard, it is capacity building if a girl can take on four men. This in itself will act as deterrence.

"However, people who shed crocodile tears will never appreciate the role of the police," Bassi said without naming whom he was referring to.

Police records revealed that 2095 cases of rape, 5192 molestations and 1444 cases of eve-teasing were reported till December 15, 2015, compared to 2085 rapes, 4182 molestations and 1282 eve-teasing cases in the corresponding period previous year.

Records further revealed, almost 39 per cent of the rapes were committed by friends and family members' friends.

While nearly 16.50 per cent rapes were committed by neighbours of the victims and around 14 per cent by relatives, around 2 percent of the offenders were co-workers and 25 per cent cases pertained to other known persons.

Image: Delhi Police commissioner B S Bassi at the annual press conference in New Delhi on Monday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo