RAIPUR: The Raipur police in Chhattisgarh wants the offenders guilty of using sharp-edged weapon like knives to become responsible as good citizen and avert indignity in social life.
Expressing concerns over the incidents of stabbings and the knives used as combative weapons in the state capital, the Raipur police have come up with a singular initiative of displaying the photos of the criminal offenders publicly as "Chaku baaz" in police stations. This will continue until no cases are found registered against them for long.
The exhibited photos of criminals who committed knife crimes twice or more instantly draw the attention of those who visit or pass through the thana premises. The snapshots display will be removed only after the police get convinced the offenders willingly joined the mainstream as law-abiding citizens.
In recent years, several criminals were nabbed after their involvement in the multiple stabbing incidents in Raipur. Many of them revealed they had conveniently acquired knives through e-commerce websites.
To rein the criminals involved in knife offences, the Raipur police have gone beyond issuing a warning to e-commerce companies to refrain from making available the banned knives or bladed items for sale.
“Their images on display in police stations will put a psychological constraint on offenders to refrain from committing crimes and will help in preventing offences using sharp-edged weapons”, said Prashant Agrawal, Raipur senior superintendent of police.
The Raipur police have no issues with the kitchen or chef knives put on sale but expressed concern over the easy access to various unusual categories of cutting tools available on the e-commerce platform.
The images of the offenders are put on display in various police stations as ‘Chaku-baaz’ (involved in knife crimes).
According to police officials during the last couple of months, over two hundred offenders have been booked under the Arms Act. But many criminals manage the support of some escape clauses and are released securing easy bail.
The initiative will equally facilitate the victims to identify the criminals whose images are put on display.
“Knife offences had recently gathered a lot of media attention. There is an obvious risk perception over possessing hazardous knives or similar sharp-edged products acquired from online market platforms. It might be used as a tool for self-defense. But how can one rule out interpersonal violence and crimes not likely to occur using such banned knives”, asserted Romesh Singh, a social psychologist.