1,157 people booked under PASA counselled in 2 years

Gandhinagar: The state govt said on Wednesday that counselling sessions were held for 1,157 repeat offenders who were booked under provisions of the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) Act in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot between 2022 and 2024.
A govt statement said that police are committed to the safety and welfare of the state's citizens through various programmes like ‘Santvana Kendra', ‘SHE Team', ‘Teen Baat Tumhari, Teen Baat Hamari' and ‘Tera Tujhko Arpan', addressing the needs of women, children and elderly citizens. Simultaneously, strict action is being taken against goons and antisocial elements found disturbing peace and harassing innocent citizens, the statement added.
In an experiment under the leadership of DGP Vikas Sahay, Gujarat Police organised meetings where criminals detained under PASA between 2022 and 2024 were summoned. Police gathered details of their current activities and warned them against indulging in crimes, the statement said.
"This initiative by Gujarat Police is crucial for controlling crime and maintaining peace and security in society. All those who attended the meetings in the four major cities of Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat were given a clear understanding of the repercussions of returning to criminal activities," the statement said.
Out of the 1,157 people booked under PASA, 532 were from Surat, 389 from Ahmedabad, 163 from Vadodara and 73 from Rajkot, the statement added. PASA is a law aimed at curbing antisocial activities. It is applied against individuals found repeatedly committing serious offences, including bootleggers, land-grabbers and drug offenders.