The innocent and less informed are in a state of shock over the latest disclosure from Mumbai – yes, its been splashed widely by all sections of the media. The news spread like wildfire and was immediately viral on social media – the news about the long letter said to have been written by the ex-top cop of Mumbai Param Bir Singh and addressed to the Maharastra Chief Minister to tell him in detail how the state Home Minister had set a target of Rs 100 Cr per month as extortion money for several police officers in the commercial capital of India. One of the officers given this target was Sachin Vaze, who was earlier detained by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a case of terror and a suspected murder. The Bharatiya Janata Party, leading the ruling NDA at the Centre, is gunning for the Maharashtra Chief Minister and the State Home Minister in the wake of the explosive content of this letter, which according to the CM’s office, requires verification since it does not carry the sender’s signature. Notwithstanding the objection raised and the call for probe into this matter, what is important and should ring aloud the alarm bells is the fact that no one who knows how the system works is casting any doubt over what has been revealed. A friend of mine who has served as a top bureaucrat remarked: “This is more or less true of all metro police (the targets could vary). Congress perfected it. Police stations are auctioned. The problem blew up as these guys got too greedy. Why do you think, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) asked for the Home portfolio when it joined the ruling coalition in Maharashtra? All know, it was with a purpose”. My friend was quick in his response when in a state of total distress one had said – “What to talk of Daud, or the terrorists from across the border, when we have the Home Minister of Maharashtra facing the allegation of running an extortion racket in Mumbai allegedly involving several police officers.”
In the midst of all this gloom, earlier yesterday, a JNU alumnus had retrieved a news clipping from his archive and posted it on his facebook page to tell all his friends how many years ago he was part of an anti-corruption movement and had gone with a delegation to meet Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, the then President of India at Rashtrapati Bhawan to demand action on the Vohra Committee report on the politician-bureaucrat nexus.
Another friend, a reputed historian, scholar and columnist, has brilliantly summed up the scenario with a unique post on facebook this morning. I’m quoting the post in verbatim. It says it all:
“Word Problem in Mathematics for Class 3 students in 2021. If 100 cr per month is collected for one minister by one Assistant Police Inspector then please find out how much will be collected by two APIs, five Patwaris, 10 Excise Assistants, and 15 Assistant Engineers for 10 ministers in four years. It is a given that one Patwari collects double that of an API, an EA collects 1.5 times that of a Patwari and, an AE collects 3 times that of an EA.”
In sharp contrast, a friend sent me from Australia this morning the video of former diplomat Deepak Vohra, speaking on the TEDx Talk platform. He rolled out figures to establish India has come of age and is now a world leader. Vohra concluded his speech by tapping to the popular tune and asking the audience to join and sing in chorus: “Abhi to party shuru hui hai” (the party has just begun).
Surely, it will be time to party, if as a nation all of us join the chorus and convey to those in power in one voice that its high time we use the “explosive letter” to ensure the protectors of the Constitution will never be allowed to play havoc with the system; corruption will not be tolerated; and the guilty, no matter how high and mighty, they shall not be allowed to go scot-free.
Bhopal: A police team from Bairagarh police station raided a restaurant in the State capital on Sunday night and rounded up about 70 party revellers along with the restaurant managers, tied them up with a rope and marched them in procession to the police station.
The party, in complete violation of COVID-19 lockdown guidelines, was going on at the “Akkad Bakkad Cafe and Lounge” on Bairagarh road- Bairagarh is a Bhopal suburb.
It has been reported that many influential and well known citizens, including local youth leaders of ruling BJP were attending the party.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Special Director General of Police (Police Reforms) Maithilisharan Gupta is pursuing with full dedication and commitment the goal of translating his vision of “Crime Free Bharat” into ground reality through an Automated Investigation Support System.
To carry forward his message, Gupta is presently engaged in organizing live online interactive sessions with dignitaries from different fields, including the general persons of the society. Through a specially created YouTube channel – Crime Free India – the guests and viewers go live and this has become a popular platform in a very short time. The program is broadcast live every Monday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Spearheading a brianstorming webinar on the topic “Crime Free Bharat analysis of peer review of proactive Police and visualising future challenges”, under the banner of National Police Mission this past Monday, 27 July (season three of Crime Free India), Gupta set the tone by underscopring there is a provision for scientific and technical assistance in the investigation and detection of criminals under Central List Entry 65C of the 7th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. He emphasised the need for creating a strong and neutral structure to handle the prime responsibility and said a strong foundation of crime-free India can be laid through automated investigation support system using innovative technologies.
Explaining the concept of the Automated Investigation Support System, Gupta said that the goal is to de-burden and de-stress the Police as by using the Automated Investigation Support System. The smart investigation system would help IO to simultaneously work on various probabilities and also assist in requisitioning of evidences from various organisations and other subsystem (though digital requisitioning and monitoring) under section 91 Cr. P. C. It would help in creating a certificate of admissibility u/s 65 B of Evidence Act. System would ensure integrity of evidence with encryption and protection with value thus precluding any chance of manipulation.
It would identify hot spots, crime zones with time and seasonal analysis. It would also identify criminal clusters and map them with hot spots and crime zones. Whenever any crime is committed, the investigation officer would get photographs of criminals from the historic database of CCTNS and suspects who are most likely to be involved on their Investigation App to help him to show it victims and other persons in vicinity to identify the criminals and suspects of the crime.
In addition IO would also have a facility for creating computerised portraits using their Investigation App with help of victims and other witnesses available there. IO would get the automated help for requisitioning evidence under section 91 Cr. P. C. from Telecom Service Providers, CCTV Systems, Banks & Financial Institutions, details about their travel by rail, air or road. These evidence would be admissible in court of law under section 8 and 9 of Evidence Act. System will help to prosecute non-compliance and such evidence would then be obtained through Search and Seizure u/s 93 and 94 Cr.P.C.
System would generate specific investigation leads for IO and would capture the details of their investigation to preserve the evidence, generate certificates of admissibility, integrity and chain of custody. Investigation lead would be accompanied with a compliance and performance module.
It would transform the ground situation and IO would be having all kinds of support including real time help from Experts to do quality jobs through Smart Investigation Assistance.
Gupta further said that the automated system will also ensure a powerful, efficient and public friendly Policing System on ground. The Investigation Support System has been conceived as a very powerful set up to provide support to Investigator but it also captures digital and non digital infallible evidence wherever they may be available (sitting) by helping the investigation officers using their power u/s 91 Cr.P.C. (By digitally creating requisition letters duly signed by IO with an effective monitoring mechanism. It will also help in capturing, analysing and preserving evidence and the same would be made available to IO with proof of relevancy, integrity, admissibility and chain of custody to be submitted before court of law. Non compliance of 91 Cr.P.C. would be dealt strictly as per the provision of law and police would further be facilitated with these evidence through Search and Seizure under section 93 & 94 of Cr.P.C.
It would also provide powerful investigative leads to follow and work on by analyzing macro data of hot spots, crime zones and criminal clusters.
It would also assist in identifying gaps in infrastructure for capturing evidence and the same would be filled by active support and participation by the communities and all other stakeholders. The owners of these resources would get a monetary stream for using their input.
The System provides powerful assistance in smart investigation by the investigation officer and helps him in collection of evidence through a powerful Smart Investigation App. The System will help in preparing a draft challan with full details of evidence and who will prove them in a court of law. Predictive Analytics also would be used to anticipate moves of criminals proactively and prevent them by dynamically and proactively pre-positioning the police and other community volunteers.
The System will lead to integration of Stakeholders identified, including Senior Citizens, Women, Children and other weaker section of society, Youth and students, Media, Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Small businessmen, Restaurant, Tea stalls, Pan Bhandhars/ Pan Stalls and other kiosks, vegetable shops and motivate the citizens to as volunteers, observers or stakeholders and incentivise them by fulfilling their needs, and bringing recognition and monetary rewards.
The population with criminal records or other persons who are having propensity to commit crimes would be identified. Well qualified and properly trained volunteers would interact with them to identify their skill sets and other capabilities. Their interest and inclinations would also be captured to work out sustainable rehabilitation strategies for them, Gupta said and went on to highlight that the system would also create Revenue Streams for the Community as a whole, besides volunteers, and Stakeholders
Taslima Khan, Second in Command, CRPF, Madhya Pradesh, who attended the program, said on the occasion of 82nd Foundation Day of CRPF that coordination of public and police is very important in creating a crime-free India. Gupta responded by stating that the police is overburdened with many responsibilities and if the CRPF prepares itself well then it can do a better job than the police.
Participating in the discussion, Lalit Shastri, Editor-in-Chief, Newsroom24x7, shared his firm view that the police should be a professional force and not a subordinate force.
S. Nitin, educationist, Genesis Solutions, had a piece of advice. He suggested that the basic procedure involved in lodging FIRs should be incorporated in the college curriculum to raise awareness in society.
Hariom Awasthi, Constitution Law Expert and Assistant Professor, Prestige Institute of Management Gwalior said that the level of trust between public and police is very poor and a lot of work is required in this area. Spl DGP, Gupta responded by stating that this technology is integrating not only the authority but also the common citizens of the country and will bring revolutionary changes when it comes to controlling crime.
Dr. Prem Kumar Aggarwal, Head of Department Hooghly Mohsin College, questioned the working of public prosecutors and said that they should uphold the public interest and work under the scope of law.
The Season three episode of Crime Free India that went live on Youtube on 27 July 2020 was conducted by Piyush Dwivedi Advocate on record. He is an LLM in Business Law from National Law Institute University, Bhopal.
Click for discission on the topic: “Crime Free Bharat analysis of peer review of proactive Police and visualising future challenges”
Mandsaur: The ongoing farmers’ agitation took a serious turn today as six people died and two sustained injuries in firing while the police was involved in a violent clash with the protesters at Pipliya Mandi, not far from here in the central Indian State of Madhya Pradesh.
Curfew has been imposed at Pipliya Mandi as well as Mandsaur, the district headquarters. State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered a judicial inquiry.
Chouhan has said that all legitimate demands of the farmers have been accepted and orders issued. The Congress has politicised this agitation and the violence was a consequence of this.
The main opposition Congress has gone on the offensive and demanded the chief minister’s resignation.
The chief minister had entered into a pact with the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, the RSS frontal organisation representing the farmers, two days ago and this was followed by a Government statement, which quoted the State BKS chief, to announce that the farmers’ agaitation had been called off.
The chief minister has announced ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh against each fatality and Rs 1 lakh to every grievously-hurt person.
