Intro
Strict guidelines prepared under BNSS, with the State police chief warning of stringent action against officers found violating the rules during investigations into custodial violence and deaths.
CH NEWS
BENGALURU
The Karnataka Police Department has introduced stringent procedures to curb incidents of custodial torture and deaths in police custody, with Director General and Inspector General of Police Dr. M.A. Salim issuing detailed investigation guidelines to ensure transparency and accountability.
The new directions, framed under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), are aimed at preventing lapses in investigation, destruction of evidence and possible influence by local police personnel during probes into custodial violence cases.
According to the guidelines, if any allegation of torture or ill-treatment in police custody is reported, the jurisdictional police station officer must immediately register an FIR and submit a report without delay to senior officers.
The order also mandates the immediate seizure of CCTV footage from the police station or the location concerned whenever incidents of custodial violence or death are reported. Investigators have been instructed to preserve all electronic and documentary evidence to prevent tampering.
In a major step towards transparency, the guidelines make audio and video recording compulsory for victim statements as well as postmortem procedures in custodial death cases. Officials said this would help ensure credibility in investigations and reduce the possibility of manipulation of evidence.
The DGP has further directed that once such cases are transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), investigators should not rely solely on station records and case diaries maintained earlier by local police. Instead, CID officers must personally visit the scene of occurrence, independently verify the evidence and reassess whether procedures such as mahazar and seizure formalities were conducted properly.
Another important provision requires prosecutors to obtain prior sanction from the competent authority before filing charge sheets against accused police personnel. The move is intended to ensure legal scrutiny while maintaining fairness in prosecution.
Police headquarters officials said the guidelines were issued to strengthen public confidence and maintain the integrity of the force by ensuring impartial investigations in sensitive cases.
Dr. Salim warned that any violation of the new rules at any stage of investigation would be viewed seriously. He said officers responsible for lapses, suppression of facts or destruction of evidence in cases that tarnish the image of the police department would face direct accountability and strict legal action.
The order comes amid increasing public scrutiny over custodial violence cases and is expected to serve as a framework for uniform investigations across the State.
