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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora orders pubic engagement at police stations
To increase public engagement and educational outreach through police-public interactions, Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, in an order issued last week, has asked police stations across the city to engage with students and the general public, inviting them to police stations for exposure to various equipment and records. Commissioner Sanjay Arora, in the order dated July 16, stated that this decision was taken during the conference of director generals and inspector generals. Apart from this, it was also decided that debates could be held in schools and colleges on the types of work undertaken by the police. Arora issued a set of measures that need to be undertaken across the city, one of which is weekly programmes. Every week, at the district/police station level, a drive will be initiated to involve the general public and students from educational institutions. Participants will be shown various records and equipment, including a sample FIR, tear gas equipment, queue management tools, and the following security devices: door frame metal Detector (DFMD) and handheld metal detector (HHMD). Additionally, there will be an introduction to the case property with a demonstration of barcoding, as well as a display of general property and weapons. Participants will also receive a demonstration of the crime and criminal tracking network and systems, and a guided tour of the record room and the wireless unit/control room. The order mentioned monthly debates to be organised on a rotational basis at the police station level in schools and colleges. 'A grand finale shall be held in October, coinciding with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary, featuring winners of previous rounds. An ACP-rank officer must attend each event to deliver opening/closing remarks, distribute prizes, and interact with students. Interschool debate clubs should be formed at the sub-division level to ensure continued engagement,' it mentioned. To keep up with student interest, inviting youth icons and influencers could also be useful, it said. The circular also mentioned that documentaries, videos, and assessment reports should be made of the outreach programmes. The order noted that to enhance engagement and participation, it is important to introduce 'Jan Sunwai' (an open house for public grievances) proceedings. Additionally, the programme should include workshops focused on traffic issues, cybercrime prevention and public awareness, the challenges posed by fake news for policing and countermeasures, as well as juvenile delinquency, focusing on its causes and preventive measures. There should be discussions on the impact of drug abuse on crime and strategies for prevention, it said. Sakshi Chand is working as an Assistant Editor with the Indian Express. She has over a decade of experience in covering crime, prisons, traffic and human interest stories. She has also covered the communal clashes in Kasganj, Aligarh, Trilokpuri riots as well as the North-East Delhi riots. Apart from being a journalist, she is also a National level basketball player and a coach. Before joining the Indian Express, she was working for The Times of India. ... Read More
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Indian Express
IIM Calcutta rape case: Woman fails to record statement, cops in a huddle over framing sequence of events
The Kolkata Police, which is probing the alleged rape of a young woman at the Joka campus hostel of the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C), is finding it difficult to move ahead with the investigation due to 'non-cooperation' of the woman and her family, sources said. The woman, who is in her early 20s and claimed to be a psychologist, has not given consent to the medico-legal examination and failed to appear before a magistrate on Monday to record her statement. Police have arrested a second-year student of the IIM-C, Parmanand Toppaunwar, 26, for rape. In her complaint to the police on July 12, the woman had alleged that Toppaunwar called her to the Joka campus hostel on Friday (July 11) for a 'counselling session' since she was a psychologist and the two had met on social media. She alleged that she was raped after she lost consciousness on consuming the food and water offered by the accused. 'The SIT is looking at all the angles in the case. We approached the woman as we wanted to know from where she had completed her course as a clinical psychologist and whether she had a valid licence to give counselling sessions. But the woman could not be reached,' said a senior police officer involved in the probe. On Sunday, Kolkata Police formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by an ACP-rank officer and comprising three women officers, to probe the rape case. 'The main priority of the SIT now is to speak to the woman to confirm the exact sequence of events. The timeline remains unclear, and the conflicting statement made by the woman's father has raised some questions,' another police officer said. The woman's father had earlier claimed that no such incident had taken place. He claimed that he received a call at 9.34 pm on Friday (July 11, the day the alleged rape took place), informing him that his daughter had fallen out of an auto and lost consciousness. He claimed he was told that she was admitted to a hospital by the police. According to police, the accused, during questioning, claimed that he came in contact with the woman a few months ago through a counselling app. Toppaunwar told police that he had informed the hostel warden that a counsellor would be visiting him, and as a result, he did not make an entry of the woman's visit in the hostel register. Sources in the police said that the IIM-C informed them that Toppaunwar had mailed the institute about a friend visiting him on the campus on July 11. It is to be noted that the woman in complaint to the police had stated that when she arrived on the campus, Toppaunwar met her at the gate and asked her not to enter her name in the visitor's register, which raised some doubts. Sources said the police are also looking into the tower location of the cellphone of the woman, as she has claimed that she was in the IIM-C hostel till 8.30 pm when she gained consciousness. 'But the institute has told us that the woman left the campus in the afternoon. So, we need to verify it,' said a police officer, adding that the forensic experts are examining the mobile phones of both the accused and the woman. Meanwhile, the lawyer of the accused, Subrata Sardar, said they have sought a report on the statement made by the woman's father. Referring to the woman not appearing before a magistrate on Monday to record her statement, Sardar said: 'We have moved the court for a report regarding the video statement given by the father that the incident did not happen. Also, we have asked for a report on why the woman's statement has not been recorded yet.' When asked about the defence counsel's move, Chief Public Prosecutor Sourin Ghosal told The Indian Express: 'The accused has not got any say regarding the mode and method of investigation as per the Supreme Court's guideline.'
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Time of India
Amid staff crunch, CP frees around 200 cops from additional units
Ludhiana: Despite a spate of crime cases, the police force remains inadequate for the rapidly expanding industrial city, where a sizeable chunk of the population comprises labourers from other states. There are only 4,000 police personnel for a city of over 25 lakh. Of these, only about 2,200 are actually working on the field. A number of police personnel were deployed in various wings such as two anti-narcotic cells, four cells of Crime Against Women (CAW), Anti-Human Trafficking Cell, Proclaimed Offenders Cell, three CIAs (Crime Investigation Agency), one special branch, and Economics Offences Wing (EOW). After police commissioner Swapan Sharma abolished all these cells, city police got about 200 police personnel deputed at police stations and the emergency response system (ERS). After the abolition of the aforementioned units, Ludhiana commissionerate only has one CIA, a crime branch, one special cell. "A unit needs an in-charge, an investigating team attached with him and other staffers for office work. With more units, more personnel were being used in offices. By doing away with these units, we have freed approximately 200 cops, who will be out on the field now. Half of these cops are being sent to police stations and some are being deputed to the emergency response system (ERS) recently been introduced in the city," the police commissioner said. City police have integrated the PCR, Traffic, and control room in the emergency response system to improve response time of the police to emergency situations. Sharma said, "Before abolishing the units, I thoroughly checked the number of staffers each unit had and was surprised to know that at many units, police personnel had been deployed unnecessarily. For example, in the complaint cell, there was an assistant and a nayab assistant. Further, there was a record keeper and, in addition, an assistant record keeper." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pernas e pés inchados: Experimente isso para ajudar a drenar o fluído do edema aartedoherbalismo Undo On being asked about how the work of these units would be divided, the CP said, "All the complaints that were being investigated by CAW and EOW have now been transferred to ACP-rank officials. Work of the anti-narcotic cell will be done by the respective police stations and units dealing with hardcore crimes." In August 2021, the four CAWs were shifted to a building in Rishi Nagar. As the CAW units have been abolished, the Women police station located near Damoria Bridge is being shifted to this building in Rishi Nagar. Ludhiana Police restructuring Staffing challenges City population: Over 25 lakh Total Police Personnel: 4,000 Personnel on field: 2,200 Organisational changes made Special Units Abolished: 2 Anti-Narcotic Cells 4 Crime Against Women (CAW) Cells Anti-Human Trafficking Cell Proclaimed Offenders Cell 3 CIAs (Crime Investigation Agencies) 1 Special Branch Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Remaining units: 1 CIA 1 Crime Branch 1 Special Cell Redeployment of Personnel Freed from add'l units: 200 personnel New Assignments: Half sent to police stations Others deployed to the Emergency Response System (ERS)
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Bribes, fake degrees: Anatomy of a pharmacy racket
Madan Mandal, 45, was on the hunt for what he called a 'respectable job'. A resident of Shahbad Dairy in northwest Delhi, he wanted to start his own shop, and felt that operating a pharmacy was a decent option. There was just one problem — Mandal hadn't even matriculated from school, let alone earned a pharmacy diploma, which made getting a pharmacy registration certificate — mandatory to operate a chemist shop — impossible. Well, nearly impossible. Mandal chose to get his registration through another route — he paid a tout ₹4 lakh for a 'package deal'. Within days, he received fake matriculation and diploma certificates. Two and a half months later, the Delhi Pharmacy Council (DPC) issued him a registration number. With that, he began illegally operating a pharmacy in Tikri, according to investigators that worked the case. Mandal is one of thousands fraudulently running pharmacies across the country — a racket that came under the scanner on April 2, when Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) arrested 48 people, including former DPC registrar Kuldeep Singh, as part of a widening investigation into fake pharmacy registrations. Among those arrested by the ACB team headed by ACP Jarnail Singh were Sanjay Kumar, a tout from Narela, and Imlakh Khan, principal of the Baba Institute of Pharmacy in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. 'We have arrested 35 fake pharmacists in Delhi and expect more arrests,' said Madhur Verma, joint commissioner of police, ACB. Doctor Sunil Singhal, senior vice-president of the Delhi Medical Association, warned of the grave risks. 'Unqualified people selling medicines could lead to spurious or dangerously wrong combinations being dispensed, especially when patients rely directly on chemists rather than doctors,' he said. How the racket worked According to the procedure laid out by DPC to grant a registration certificate, the council verifies documents submitted by pharmacy applicants by emailing their college for confirmation. If verified by this email, the registrar conducts a short interview before issuing a registration. This verification system was exploited by Kumar and his associates. When approached by aspiring pharmacists, Kumar arranged a string of fraudulent certificates — including Class 10 and 12 results, a pharmacy diploma, and a practical training certificate claiming 500 hours of fieldwork. 'Sanjay would go to a printer in Rohini to create the documents and list fake college details,' said an ACP-rank officer. The cost for the entire package was ₹4 lakh — ₹1.5 lakh of which allegedly went to the registrar, with the rest split among others. Once the forged documents were printed, they were uploaded to the DPC website for registration. 'The applicants never even saw their fake certificates,' the officer said. Kumar then bribed college officials — including Khan, the principal of Baba Institute — to send fake verification emails to DPC. 'He paid Khan around ₹50,000 to verify documents for at least three applicants,' the ACP-rank officer added. After the verification email was received, applicants would appear before registrar Kuldeep Singh for a brief interview — often involving basic questions such as the chemical formula of salt or water. 'Sanjay would bring the applicants to Kuldeep Singh's office where he asked them the most basic questions — like the chemical formula of salt or water,' the second officer said. Within days, they received their registration certificates. The demand for such certificates, the officer cited above said, was driven by genuine pharmacists employing unlicensed assistants, who eventually sought to set up their own shops. 'These men learn the trade on the job but do not have a degree. In such cases, touts target such men and lure them with the offer that they could run their own pharmacy and make more money. They told the men that they didn't have to worry about the certificates but just pay ₹4 lakh and get a registration certificate,' the ACP said. How the racket was uncovered The scam surfaced in January 2023, when a Delhi health department official filed a complaint against Kuldeep Singh, alleging he had issued certificates to three people based on forged documents and locked away their verification reports. Even though no formal case was registered immediately, the ACB launched a discreet investigation — and uncovered widespread malpractice. During Singh's tenure between March 2020 and August 2023, at least 4,928 pharmacists were registered, many of them suspected to be fraudulent. Even after being removed from office on August 16, Singh allegedly continued approving applications using his personal email. He registered 232 more people before his final suspension on September 25, 2023. Investigators discovered that Singh approved many applications before receiving college verifications — and in some cases, even after colleges flagged the documents as fake. The probe also revealed that the scam wasn't confined to Delhi. Touts had networks in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, with colleges willing to validate fake certificates for a price. Staff from SP College of Pharmacy and Meera College of Nursing in Abohar (Punjab), and Mahaveer Singh Chahar College of Pharmacy and RSS College of Pharmacy in Mathura, as well as Baghpat Medical Institute in UP, have been arrested. The owners of some of these institutions remain at large.
