Attack on Pali farmer 1st case under BNS in Rajasthan, phone snatching in Jaipur

JAIPUR: While physical attack suffered by a farmer for supposed trespassing on another farmer's land in Pali district became the subject of the first case registered under the newly enforced Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Monday, the snatching of a man's mobile phone by two bike-borne men was the basis of the first case registered under BNS in Jaipur.

FIR number 0117, registered at Sadri police station in Pali district at 10:22am on Monday, was filed under sections 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 324 (4) (commits mischief and thereby causes loss or damage to the amount of Rs 20,000 and more but less than Rs 1 lakh), and 324 (5) (commits mischief and thereby causes loss or damage to the amount of one lakh rupees or upwards) of BNS.
The victim, Madan Lal, 34, was allegedly assaulted by Sumer Singh, another farmer, for supposedly trespassing on the latter's farm. Lal, a resident of Morkha village under Sadri police station in Pali district, owns tractors used for ploughing farms. As per the FIR, when he was heading towards a landowner's property on his tractor at 7:30am on Monday, Sumer Singh stopped his tractor, saying he (Lal) had trespassed on his farm.
Singh asked Lal to get down the tractor and then assaulted him, says the FIR that became the state's first under BNS.
Special helpdesk to assist police stations
Lal alleged that Singh beat him up with a stick, causing injuries to his arms and skull, and also took Rs 1,200 from his pocket and damaged his mobile phone.
In Jaipur, police commissioner Biju George Joseph said the first case under BNS in the city was registered under Section 304 (snatching) at Adarsh Nagar police station on Monday. A man complained to police that his mobile phone was snatched by two bike-born men when he was sitting on the sidewalk near Pink Square Mall.
The first day of the new criminal law also led to a slew of problems and confusions at many places across the state. At Bayana police station in Bharatpur district, a case was registered on the basis of a court's order that included IPC sections, but it was shown as being registered under Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) due to what officials said was an "online technical glitch" in the form. This was being rectified, and the department concerned was informed about it, said officials.
Hemant Priyadarshi, ADGP of State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), said both BNSS and BNS have been smoothly implemented in the state. Integration of BNS and BNSS with CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems) has been completed, he said.
Investigation officers (IOs) of the state police faced significant confusion while implementing the three new criminal laws on the first day. Several station house officers (SHOs) and sub-inspectors (SIs) reported difficulty in transitioning from sections of the old Indian Penal Code (IPC), which they had memorised during their training at the police academy and through their years of work.
"There are many provisions in the new laws that were not there in IPC. I keep telling my IOs to not make any mistake and, if required, call up seniors for guidance," said an SHO.
Joseph said a special helpdesk has been established in Jaipur under a senior additional DCP (ADCP) to assist police stations with queries related to the new criminal laws. Police officials admitted facing some technical glitches on the first day and hoped those would be resolved soon.
"There are provisions of the preliminary enquiry (PE) in the new criminal laws. We have instructed our SHOs to keep in constant touch with their ACPs to consult whenever there is confusion so that no mistake is made," said a senior officer.
Many police officers also require training on the new online app called eSakshya. "While the eSakshya app is easy to use, some old police personnel are facing issues," said an official.