Specially designed rape investigation kits to be given to police stations, hospitals

New Delhi: The Ministry of Women and Children Development (WCD) will be distributing specially-designed kits to all police stations and hospitals to carry out immediate medical examination into sexual assault cases, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi said on Wednesday.

The rape investigation kits are being procured by state governments with financial support from the Nirbhaya Fund, she said. The fund aims to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards ensuring safety of women in India.

For quick investigation in rape cases, the ministry is ensuring that police stations and hospitals across the country are equipped with the specially-designed rape evidence kits, Gandhi said.

She added that the kit comprises essential items which will help in furnishing evidence such as blood and semen samples in cases of rape and sexual assault. The kits will also contain instructions on the evidence that needs to be collected from the crime scene, she said.

The results from the medical examination will be provided within two months of sending the kits to the closest labs.

Gandhi added that Sakshi Suraksha Advanced DNA Laboratory has been started in Chandigarh for forensic analysis of samples collected from rape victims. She added that forensic labs would come up in Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bhopal and Guwahati.

"Once a proper identification of sexual crime has been done and all the evidence gathered, the time-line for rape leading to conviction could be cut by years," she said.