Bengaluru City Police

Of late, many suggestions have been floating around on ensuring security to women. One recent suggestion has been by electricity utility BESCOM's Managing Director P Manivannan (IAS), known for his reformist efforts. In a discussion on Facebook last week, Manivannan said that having a 911-like helpline will be a major step in improving police responsiveness. If police tracks calls automatically and reaches a spot within 10 minutes of the call, it will deter criminals, he argued.The current 100-helpline for Bengaluru is inefficient to the point that many do not consider it to be working at all. For a city of…

Mahesh Shantaram writes on his Facebook wall:On October 2nd, my mobile phone was stolen. The thief was caught on October 25th. Of the more than 40 phones he had stolen, he made the mistake of keeping mine for himself. My thoughts:1. I had to get a court order for the police to legally release the phone from their custody. This picture goes to the court as 'proof' that the transaction is complete. The System exists, and the System works, but I am amazed and amused by how the System sees photography as a tool for evidence gathering and documentation.2. Amongst…

"Freedom is another word for nothing left to lose", said someone. But, for many people who often lose the little that they have, freedom is another wor(l)d. And that wor(l)d did not appear on 15th August 1947 or later for the majority who live in India at present. In fact, such a wor(l)d may never exist at all for this majority. So, sometime in mid 2007 some of us in Bangalore and other parts of the country decided that we should support and celebrate ongoing struggles for freedom. From that emerged the idea of a Civil Society Summit (CSS) -…

I am very tired and exhausted after 5 hours of running around, waiting in front of Seshadripuram Police Station and interacting with the police. I am writing this at midnight.The whole ordeal started on 24th October when Tejaswini, a volunteer handing the 24×7 NorthEast telephone helpline number 9482396178  on behalf of Peace and Solidarity Forum, received a phone call at around 9:30 PM from a person of Tripura origin living in Seshadripuram area. He said that Northeast Indians residing in his building were facing constant physical assaults, extortion and threats for the past two months. My fellow activists from Praja…

Rajvir Pratap Sharma, head of BMTF (Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force), has been in the news recently for taking on the state government. While Sharma acted in accordance to BMTF's powers, against BBMP officers who permitted unauthorised constructions, the state government had tried to transfer him. Government first tried to bring BMTF under BBMP, then there were the BBMP officers who went on strike asking for Sharma's removal. Finally, Sharma was accused of constructing an illegal building, and government ordered his transfer based on this, in August. Sharma challenged the order in CAT (Central Administrative Tribunal), and won. CAT rapped the…

Two young professionals  from the city, Saikat Sarkar and Joanna Banerjee, used social media platform to vent their frustration about being allegedly humiliated and even manhandled by Bangalore Traffic Police a week ago. City's dailies, picked up the story when their ‘notes' went viral. The 26-year-old woman's note was extensively quoted in all the news reports, however she says none of the journalists contacted her to ask for permission or verify any of the facts. Nobody contacted 27-year-old Sarkar, either.Even the Bangalore Traffic Police, took cognisance of the two people's notes and promised action on its Facebook page. MA Saleem…

“I feel like relocating to a different place. I will probably sell my house,” said a depressed, rather scared 70-year-old H N Pattabhiraman, a resident of  BTM I Stage, 9th Main, since 1992. Like Pattabhiraman, the other residents too live in fear. They feel helpless in the face of deteriorating law and order situation, they do not have much confidence in the police either.   The reason for this fear is the constant trouble created by miscreants and police inaction. The residents have to bear the brunt of motor-bikers drag racing with modified silencers at night, theft cases and rampant…

Shashi Kumar, Assistant Executive Engineer, BBMP, filed an FIR against a Chandramouli Reddy on August 4th, for illegally dumping the silt and debris on survey no. 69/1, Haralukunte, 15th B Main, 21st cross of Sector III, HSR layout. Silt and debris being dumped in an open site. Pic: Anisha Nair Kumar says, “Earlier, when the residents complained, we went and filed a complaint in the police station. But the same dumping event happened again and that’s when I went and filed an FIR against the accused.” When the residents went and asked Reddy to stop dumping, he responded with abusive…

A determined Rajvir P Sharma is not ready to quit the battle. Last week, two days, after Karnataka's Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) shot out his transfer order, he was able to get a stay from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). CAT stayed the transfer order for 14 days in view of the application given by Rajvir Sharma against the stay order. "The petitioner Rajvir Sharma and M Nagarajan, standing counsel of state government, respondents from government side will have to be in the CAT court for the hearing on August 30th 2012. I have no more comment,"…

Even as police confirmed making the first arrests in Bengaluru for rumour-mongering, city businesses depending on staff from the Northeast have been affected since the panic-driven exodus began on Wednesday.  V S D'Souza, DCP (Intelligence) confirmed around midnight August 17th that two people were arrested earlier in the evening for threatening rumors. D'Souza however declined comment on whether the arrested were from any sectarian organisation or community.  Meanwhile, restaurants, retail chains and spas have been hit according to some business owners in the city. Philip Deepak, owner of Popsies restaurant in Koramangala who employed 12 Northeast service staff says that…