Police stations for SC/ST cases in Karnataka to begin operations from April 14

Police stations for SC/ST cases in Karnataka to begin operations from April 14

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, April 11, 2025: The state government will operationalise 33 police stations to exclusively deal with cases of atrocities against SC/STs on April 14, which is Ambedkar Jayanti.

This move will augment the powers of the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) and enable it to investigate cases at a time when Karnataka is grappling with low conviction rates in SC/ST atrocity cases.

However, this comes two years after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in his 2023-24 Budget, announced that the functioning of the DCRE would be made more effective.

Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa confirmed to DH that the stations would be operationalised on April 14.

“This is a historic decision of the Cabinet for the protection of the rights of Dalits,” he added.

While Bengaluru will have two stations, all other districts will get one station each.

Counter complaints

The move comes at a time when data from the Social Welfare Department revealed that counter complaints have been filed in 28% (3,118 out of 10,961 cases) of atrocity cases in five years (2020-24).

This had drawn the ire of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who lashed out at the police for “weakening” atrocity cases during a meeting in January this year.

Low conviction rate

As per government statistics, between 2012 and 2024, the conviction rate has merely been 2.47% in Karnataka.

A government order in 1975 mandated the DCRE to “collect intelligence and investigate” into violations of 14 points.

However, in the absence of police stations, the DCRE was deprived of investigative powers and was confined to conducting inquiries.

With the operationalisation of these police stations, the DCRE ADGP will appoint an Investigating Officer (IO) to take over the case from the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), continue the investigation and submit the final report to the designated court.

Senior journalist and Dalit leader Indudhara Honnapura welcomed the decision, but hoped that these stations would function efficiently and not just remain “on paper”.

“These stations need adequate infrastructure and funds. Instead of turning them into places for punishment transfers, officers with social commitment should be posted there,” he said.

“Though historic, the move will have a meaning only when effectively implemented,” Honnapura said.