Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
(1) A District Magistrate or a Sub-divisional Magistrate or any other Exe- action to be cutive Magistrate or any police officer not below the rank of a Deputy Superinten- taken by tendent of Police may, on receiving information and after such inquiry as he may the law and think necessary, has reason to believe that a person or a group of persons not order machi- belonging to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes, residing in or fre- nery. quenting any place within the local limits of his jurisdiction is likely to commit an an offence or has threatened to commit any offence under this Act and is of the opinion that there is sufficient ground for proceeding, declare such an area to be an area prone to atrocities and take necessary action for keeping the peace and good behaviour and maintenance of public order and tranquility and may take preventive action. (2) The provisions of Chapters VIII, X and XI of the Code shall, so far as may be, apply for the purposes of sub-section (1). (3) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make one or more schemes specifying the manner in which the officers referred to in sub-section (1) shall take appropriate action specified in such scheme or schemes to prevent atrocities and to restore the feeling of security amongst the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Section 438