Bengaluru: Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant IPS has put an end to the nuisance of police officers going through people’s phones under the guise of cracking down on drugs in the City.
Pant has asked distressed individuals to message him, assuring strict action against cops who take over people’s phones to check through their WhatsApp chats and gallery.
“@BlrCityPolice doesn’t approve of taking over the mobile phone of anyone under any pretext. We strongly disapprove of any such act,” he tweeted. He also shared an article from News Laundry detailing various incidents of police harassment that resulted in messages being checked for words like “weed” and “drugs.”
.@BlrCityPolice doesn’t approve of taking over the mobile phone of anyone under any pretext. We strongly disapprove of any such act. If you come across such an incident, immediately share/dm the below details:
— Kamal Pant, IPS. ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಆಯುಕ್ತರು, ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಗರ. (@CPBlr) April 2, 2022
People who are harassed by Bengaluru police officers into handing over their phones for unwarranted inspection can now immediately complain to the Police Commissioner. According to Pant’s tweet, an IPS complaint must include the details of location/time of this time, Hoysala No. (3 digits – written on the sides) and Vehicle No.