PUNE: The city of Pune will soon have a special cell for prevention of atrocities against women.

Functioning on the lines of a similar facility in Mumbai, the cell will help expedite investigations related to the atrocities against women. The State home ministry has directed Pune Police Commissionerate to forward a proposal in this regard.

A special cell was established in Mumbai following an announcement made by R R Patil, the State home minister to investigate serious crimes like rape, kidnapping, outraging the modesty of women and dowry deaths. Accordingly, the Pune Police Commissionerate has been asked to submit a proposal for establishment of the special cell.

In addition to an officer of the deputy commissioner level, the proposed cell will have an assistant police commissioner, two police inspectors, 10 police sub-inspectors, four assistant police inspectors and about 50 policemen. An immediate action in this regard is awaited from the Pune Police Commissionerate.

Senior police inspector, Smita Jadhav, said that about 350 women are presently being trained in self-defence at a nominal cost. “Gulabrao Pol, the Pune Police Commissioner had convened a meeting of women from different fields in order to create awareness about self-defence. Besides listing to the various problems faced by women, the meeting was used to appraise them about the need for training in self-defence. Some of the city-based industries and schools have taken lead in this regard, while participation of young women in vigilance committees has also increased,” she added.

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The assistance cell for women has been specially attending to the complaints filed by women. The cell had received 1,011 applications in 2012 with complaints related to rape, kidnapping, outraging the modesty, dowry death and ill-treatment for dowry. Till the end of March 2013, the cell received 383 complaints of which 38 were solved amicably and cases were filed against 56 individuals.