Lok Sabha panel flags understaffed cybercrime units
The parliamentary standing committee on women empowerment has raised concerns about severe understaffing in cybercrime units and a perceived lax attitude towards online crimes targeting women and children.
The panel, during its fourth meeting convened on Monday, heard briefings from the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) and the ministry of home affairs (MHA) on 'cyber crimes and cyber safety of women'. Cyber experts and NGOs also presented their views.
Multiple lawmakers, speaking anonymously, said the committee confronted ministry representatives over critical shortcomings.
An MP told HT that the MHA unit specifically handling cybercrimes against women operates with inadequate staff. 'We unequivocally said it's unacceptable and that the staff should be increased as the ministry is failing in keeping a check on such crimes,' she said.
HT had previously reported on May 7 that the D Purandeswari-headed committee, in its first meeting, discussed about cybercrimes against women –– including the online harassment faced by Himanshi Narwal, the widow of Lt. Vinay Narwal who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.
The lawmakers, on Tuesday, said that said women and children face increasingly violent and sexually explicit online abuse that has spread beyond major cities into rural areas. According to the MPs, the panel told ministry representatives there is a 'dire' need to speed up action against cyberbullying and harassment, criticizing a 'lax' official approach that often allows online crimes to escalate into real-world stalking and harassment
The committee cited the case of foreign secretary Vikram Misri and his daughter, who faced intense online abuse and trolling in May, following Operation Sindoor and the subsequent cessation of hostilities with Pakistan.
'If the foreign secretary and his daughter are not safe from these cyberbullies then imagine what happens to the common women and children,' a second MP who took part in the meeting said.
A key issue raised by the committee was the fragmented legal structure across ministries. 'One thought that came up was, can we have one legal... one act which would control cybercrime and abuse against women and children,' the second MP said.
The committee also discussed the limited awareness of government programmes among rural women, particularly those who are technologically challenged. 'There is cyber security, but is that enough? That is not enough is what they felt,' the second MP added.
Both MeitY and MHA have asked for written suggestions from the panel to be submitted within a week. The committee decided the ministries, collaborating with NGOs, will develop solutions to mitigate cybercrime risks. These include technical and legal mechanisms aimed at preventing such crimes and ensuring immediate assistance reaches victims of online abuse.
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