Cops come to grips with new laws; pressed for time

Bhopal: Starting July 1, 2024, new criminal laws have been implemented across the country and cops are getting used to registering cases under the new sections. Eight out of the first ten FIRs registered in MP were registered in Bhopal. Many cops told TOI that the registration process of FIRs has not changed much, as now they have to use the sections of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) instead of IPC while registering FIRs.
But many changes have been made in the investigation procedure. Like, at the time of making any seizures, or making any search, the cops will have to record video. They will have to inform the magistrate when they take any suspect in custody. So, they will not get time, like they did in the past, to recover stolen or robbed items on their information.

A senior cop said that for crimes/incidents involving imprisonment of seven years or more, forensic experts will investigate the crime scene. But this has not been made mandatory for next five years as the number of forensic experts needed for doing the same are not available at the moment.
Lack Of Time
A cop, wishing anonymity, said that now police will have to make the video of any suspect being detained in any major loot or theft case and inform the magistrate. Earlier police got time to recover stolen items on his information as the suspects were kept in custody for days. Now, once the police show that the suspect is taken into custody, they will have to produce him before the court. The miscreants do not reveal their secrets without harsh grilling.
Another cop said that police will have to record videos of the witnesses at the time of making any seizures. Seizures in NDPS Act take as long as 4-5 hours. “Will the witnesses stay with police for so long?,” he said, adding that “If seizures are made from neighbouring districts, will the witnesses be taken to the spot for recording the videos?”
A city cop said that for instance, earlier if a person was caught with a weapon, police would interrogate them and collect information about the source of the weapon and make a chain of suppliers and customers. This was done by keeping the accused in custody and grilling him. But now the cops will have to disclose the custody immediately. So, why would the accused reveal information, he asked.
Questions & Doubts
A senior cop said that police make seizures in each and every case several times a day. So in an assault case, if an accused is formally taken into custody 15 days after the incident, how will police record the video of the stick used in the crime while making seizures? It will be a time taking process. If any law-and-order situation takes place how will the police make seizures at that time. Where will these videos be stored? How will these videos be presented before the courts? Who will bear the expenses?
Lack of Resources
Another cop said that it was decided that all the investigation officers will be provided tablet computers to record videos and upload them in the online software. But as of now the cops have not been provided any such tablets. Many cops are not trained to operate a tablet or feed details into the software. Not all cops have access to such software. The cops were already overburdened and now the new process will further increase the burden.
Police Commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra said there were two challenges before implementing the new laws. First— To update software at all police stations and train the cops. In Bhopal 4500 cops were trained on the new laws. Master trainers were trained at Police training Centre at Bhauri and they trained the cops in batches, so the cops are well versed with the new laws, registration and investigations. Secondly, some issues like fast internet connections, memory to save video evidence like pen drives and hard disks need to be addressed and they will be resolved soon.