Making city safer: Sexual offenders now face PASA

Vadodara: He had molested a two-year-old girl and was caught red-handed by her parents earlier this month. Dinesh Solanki was booked for sexual harassment and under the POCSO Act by the Wadi police. And, now he will have to cool his heels in jail for a long time as cops have also invoked Prevention of Anti-Social Act (PASA) against him.
In a first, the city police have begun taking strong action against the persons accused in sexual harassment offences.
This year, six men accused in various cases of sexual harassment were booked under PASA. “We have begun invoking PASA against those committing sexual offences in the city. The idea is to send a strong message to such offenders that they will face strict action for their criminal acts. Sexually harassing a woman is a grave offence,” said Shamsher Singh, city police commissioner.
“Offenders will think twice before harassing a woman, while victims of sexual harassment too will feel safe to approach the cops and file a complaint,” Singh told TOI. The Gujarat government had in September last year passed a bill to amend the Gujarat Prevention of Anti-Social Act, 1985 and brought sexual offenders, cyber criminals and gambling den operators under its ambit.
The police said once PASA is involved against a person, they have to inform the PASA Advisory Board. A person can be kept in detention for up to one year under PASA. Police officials said that IPC section 354 and POCSO Act too deal strictly with such offences but invoking PASA will discourage the offenders.
“Those molesting young children or morphing images of women to harass them have depraved mentality. They need to be dealt with sternly. We will keep invoking PASA against the offenders depending on severity of the crime and effect on public order,” Singh added.