Bhopal:

In an unusual financial strain, police stations across Madhya Pradesh have been spending thousands of rupees on pen drives every month. The reason? A new legal mandate under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) requires all case-related evidence – statements, crime scene recordings, and forensic data – to be submitted in a pen drive, and not through CDs or paper records.

While digitisation aims to streamline legal proceedings, the burden of purchasing these storage devices has landed squarely on the shoulders of police personnel, who often find themselves paying out of their own pockets. With an 8GB pen drive costing roughly around ₹300, and investigations often requiring multiple devices, the change in norm has become a source of concern across stations.

“You Have to Do It, Sir!”

Sub-Inspector BS Kalpuria at Bhopal’s Kotwali Police Station has been serving for years and now investigates multiple cases under the new law. But the shift from paper to digital evidence has come at an unexpected cost.

One case requires at least three pen drives to put together the evidence.

“You have to do it, sir!” Mr Kalpuria said. 

The Digital Shift – An Expensive Affair

Under Section 65B(4) of the Indian Evidence Act, any electronic evidence, including pen drives, must come with a certificate verifying its authenticity. Previously, CDs were used, but they have become difficult to find and use, forcing police to switch to pen drives. 

The Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) of 2023 has provisions for recording evidence through audio-visual means. This includes recording crime scenes. 

According to the BNS, particularly Section 105, evidence collected during a search and seizure operation must be recorded via audio-video electronic means, like a mobile phone, and stored on a device like a pen drive, essentially making the pen drive a medium to present the recorded evidence in court; this is mandated to ensure transparency and accountability in the investigation process. 

Constable Pushpendra Prajapati echoed the struggle: “Earlier, CDs worked fine, but now we have to buy pen drives. Sometimes, we have to pay from our own salary.”

Constable Joginder Singh added: “At least three pen drives are required per case, costing between ₹500-₹600. Right now, we’re managing from our own pockets.”

Case Files on Pen Drives: A Costly Change

Sub-Inspector Prem Narayan (30) acknowledged the administrative burden. “Each case requires a minimum of two pen drives – one for the court and one for our records. If the accused’s lawyer demands a copy, we need a third. We buy them ourselves because evidence collection is our responsibility,” he said. 

Since July 1, 2024, every police station has had to purchase its own pen drives. Each time a case is registered, the victim’s and witnesses’ statements are recorded on video and stored in a pen drive, which is then presented in court along with all case documents.

Top Cop Acknowledges Shortage

Bhopal Police Commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra admitted a resource constraint.

“Resources are being arranged, but initially, some police stations may face difficulties. The process of procuring equipment is ongoing,” he said. 

Legal professionals said the police should not have to bear this financial burden.

Government advocate Rajendra Upadhyay said: “The police are struggling because they lack a formal budget for pen drives. Yet, all evidence must now be submitted electronically.”

Retired DGP SC Tripathi said: “If pen drives were made mandatory, arrangements should have been in place. The government spends crores on welfare schemes like ‘Ladli Behna,’ yet police stations don’t have funds for a ₹300 pen drive!”

A recent Union Home Ministry report revealed that between July 1 and September 3, 2024, 5,56,000 FIRs were registered under the new penal code – an average of 7,400 FIRs per day. At this rate, police stations across Madhya Pradesh alone would need to spend ₹25 lakh every month on pen drives.

Technology is making legal proceedings more efficient but the cost of implementation has clearly caught law enforcement off guard. Until the government formally allocates a budget for this, policemen will continue to foot the bill for their own investigations – one pen drive at a time.

Bhopal:

The Bhopal Police’s ability to carry out their jobs are being hindered by outdated analog wireless communication systems, forcing them to resort to makeshift solutions to keep the devices functional.

According to the police, its current wireless communication system has exceeded its lifespan but despite assurances of digital wireless sets over the last three years, the department has not received any. 

The current Motorola wireless sets, operating on 800 MHz frequency, were intended to be used for 10-12 years. The system, however, has been used for 24 years, police said. 

The manufacturer provided service maintenance until 2015, but the sets have since been left to function without proper technical support. Issues such as quick battery drainage, unclear voice transmission and disrupted connectivity have become a concern for the policemen.

“These (existing) wireless sets are several years old. The sound clarity is poor and there is constant crackling noise. I’ve heard that training for new sets has been planned,” Constable Pramod Soni said.

Police said they often need to resort to temporary solutions to keep their devices intact, in order to be able to perform their duties. They often use thick rubber bands or attempt quick fixes to deal with broken components. In areas where the transmission signal is weak, cops often struggle to communicate effectively, repeatedly saying “hello, hello” in the hope of getting through.

Police said the challenge increases in situations involving law and order. These sets either fail to transmit urgent messages or cannot handle the communication load, leaving officers in a fix. 

“This version is very old. The voice is unclear, and there are multiple black spots where the range is inadequate. We need updated versions,” Sub-Inspector Narendra Chaudhary said. 

Despite six tenders being issued for new wireless sets, the equipment are yet to reach the hands of the officers, police said. 

“I haven’t seen the new sets yet. The police department must be making arrangements, but we don’t know when they will reach us,” Sub-Inspector Ram Prasad said.

Top police officers said efforts are underway to upgrade the communication system.

“Wireless systems are the backbone of police operations, whether for VVIP duty or law-and-order maintenance. We are adopting the latest technology and will roll out the new system by next month,” Bhopal Police Commissioner Hari Narayan Chari Mishra said.

Police said the new devices will have features like live location tracking (unlike in the case of older sets, officers will no longer be able to provide false locations, as the new sets will function like mobile phones with live location tracking), remote deactivation (if a wireless set is lost, it can be remotely disabled from the control room, to prevent unauthorised people from eavesdropping on police communications), enhanced clarity (the voice quality will be comparable to mobile phones), and encrypted communication (the digital sets will feature encrypted coding, ensuring that unauthorised users cannot tap into police conversations).

“There were cases in the past where officers reported being in one location while they were actually elsewhere. The new system will improve supervision and modernise police operations. Such advancements should be welcomed,” Retired Director General of Police Shailendra Shrivastava said. 

Police said the new set of devices are expected to be distributed across all levels of the force, covering Inspector Generals to Assistant Sub-Inspectors. It will also be provided to policemen linked to emergency response teams such as Dial 100, traffic cops and beat in-charges.

New Delhi:

A Maruti van parked on a roadside in Madhya Pradesh’s capital city Bhopal exploded on Tuesday. The van, running on an LPG cylinder, was seen engulfed in flames before a powerful blast completely destroyed the vehicle. The driver managed to escape in time and no other casualties were reported, according to officials.

The van caught fire in a residential area in Aishbagh. The loud blast triggered panic in the neighbourhood, leaving the residents terrified. The driver, visibly emotional and distressed, was heard shouting, “My car is destroyed. It is shattered!” as the fire raged on.

The fire was brought under control by the local authorities but not before it reduced the van to ashes.

The cause of the blaze remains unknown and the police are currently investigating the matter and further probe is underway.

Bhopal:

17-year-old student of a government-run shooting academy in Bhopal allegedly committed suicide at the institute, police said on Monday.

The boy, Yatharth Raghuvanshi, allegedly shot himself with the practice gun at the academy on Sunday evening, Ratibad police station in-charge Ras Bihari Sharma said, adding no suicide note was found.

The student, resident of Ashok Nagar district in Madhya Pradesh, was staying in a hostel of the shooting academy in the state capital Bhopal, he said.

He was taking shooting training at the academy, the official said.

The reason behind the extreme step is not yet known.

The body was sent for post-mortem and an investigation was on into the incident, the official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhopal:

The Madhya Pradesh police on Sunday saved a businessman from being looted by cyber criminals who had put him under “digital arrest” in Bhopal, an official said.

Vivek Oberoi, a resident of Arera Colony in the city, received a call around 1 pm on Saturday from individuals posing as officials of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), an MP police cyber cell release said.

The scammers connected Oberoi to people who identified themselves as CBI and Mumbai crime branch officials, it stated.

They trapped Oberoi by claiming that several bogus bank accounts were opened using his Aadhaar, which they said was also used for purchasing SIM cards for unsolicited marketing, the release said.

“Digital arrest” is a type of online fraud where scammers impersonate law enforcement or government officials to convince victims that they are under arrest.

The cyber crooks told Oberoi to download the Skype video app and asked him to stay in a room. During that time, the businessman alerted the MP cyber police and cops reached his home amid his ‘digital arrest’.

When police demanded ID verification of the fake law-enforcement officials, the fraudsters disconnected the video call, the release said.

While the conmen had got the businessman’s bank details during his “digital arrest”, he didn’t transfer any money, the release added

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhopal:

A newborn baby girl found in a sack in Aishbagh locality in Bhopal on Wednesday morning was rescued and sent to hospital but she died during treatment on Thursday, a police officer said.

The locals saw the baby girl and informed the police about the matter. Upon receiving the information, the police rushed to the spot and sent the infant to the hospital.

According to police, a CCTV video of the incident has also come to light in which a woman is seen arriving on a scooty with a sack and leaving after placing the sack. A case was registered against the woman, identified as Firdosh Khan (40), a resident of Aishbagh, who worked as a nurse, was taken into custody.

“On Wednesday morning, local people found a newborn baby girl in Aishbagh locality and immediately informed the police about the matter. Upon reaching the spot, the police found the baby girl alive and admitted her to the hospital. A CCTV video of the incident was also surfaced in which a 40-year-old woman was seen carrying the baby girl in a sack on a scooty. The woman has been identified as Firdosh Khan, a resident of Aishbagh and she has been taken into custody,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, Zone 1) Priyanka Shukla told ANI.

Initially, a case was registered against Firdosh Khan under section 93 (exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years) of Bharatiya Nyay Sahita (BNS). Though, information has been received from the hospital that the baby girl died, so section 105 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of BNS has been added in it, DCP Shukla said.

“In the preliminary investigation, it came to light that the baby girl was the daughter of a 14-year-old girl. As of now, the case has been registered against Firdosh Khan and the mother of the minor (14-year-old girl) under sections 93 and 105 of BNS,” Shukla added.

Based on the statements of the family members, it was revealed that the minor had relations with her cousin. Though the complete information will be known after the statement of the minor girl before the court and further action will be taken accordingly, DCP shukla said.

“According to the information received so far, accused Firdosh Khan was working as a nurse in different hospitals. In the recent case, she tried to operate an abortion at home and leave the newborn girl abandoned. Following which, she has been booked. As of now, Firdosh Khan and mother of the 14-year-old girl have been taken into custody,” the officer said.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. More dfetails are awaited.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhopal:

Bhopal district administration authorities sealed a private school on Thursday after a minor girl was allegedly sexually harassed by her teacher on the school premises, police said.

According to officials, authorities were also going to cancel the school’s affiliation in connection with the incident.

“We have sealed the school building, and the process to cancel its affiliation has been initiated. The order will be issued in the next few hours. A committee has also been constituted to investigate the matter, and we will complete the probe within two days,” said Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Archana Sharma.

Meanwhile, a group of people, including parents of students attending the school and members of various social organisations, staged a protest outside the school over the alleged sexual harassment incident.

Some protestors vandalised the school’s signboard and burnt an effigy of the accused outside the campus. The protestors were heard demanding capital punishment for the accused.

Earlier on Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav condemned the incident and ordered strict action against the accused.

CM Yadav posted a video on X, writing, “A case of rape of a three-year-old girl by a school teacher in Bhopal has come to my notice. I have instructed that strict action be taken. Additionally, I will ensure justice is served in this case through a special court. This act is extremely disgusting, shameful, and condemnable.”

The accused school teacher was arrested following a complaint lodged by the girl’s parents.

According to police, a complaint was filed at Kamla Nagar police station regarding sexual harassment of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl. Acting on the complaint, the police registered a case against the accused under sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act.

“The accused is a teacher in the same school where the girl studies. He has been identified and arrested,” Bhopal Commissioner of Police Harinarayanchari Mishra told ANI.

“Since the victim is very young, it took some time to uncover the incident, but once we received the complaint, we immediately took action and arrested the accused. The accused has been identified as Kasim Rehan,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)