Unarmed cops, staff crunch behind incidents of crime in court premises

The staff crunch of Delhi Armed Police 3rd Battalion, in-charge of ferrying convicts and undertrial prisoners, who are mostly unarmed, has helped rival gangs to take revenge on the accused lodged in jail as they can easily eliminate or attack him in the court premises during hearings, admitted a senior police official of Delhi Armed Police 3rd Battalion, requesting anonymity.

As per the records, there are around 55 jail vans that are used to transport the prisoners to Delhi courts. “As many as 1,500 convicts and undertrials prisoners are being produced in the courts daily and maximum time they are taken to the respective courts during the early hours (before the court opens). After they are transported to the courts, they are lodged in the court’s lock-up and further produced before the judge. While ferrying from jail to the court and then to the court room, the prisoner is guarded by police personnel,” said S N Srivasatava, Special Commissioner of Police, Recruitment Cell and Delhi Armed Police 3rd Battalion.

It has been learnt that the police personnels of the 3rd Battalion deployed inside the courts to guard the prisoner from a court’s lock-up to the court room are ‘unarmed’. “There are only 1,900 working strength, however, the recommended police force is about 3,800. Due to staff crunch, one prisoner is accompanied with one constable or head constable rank policeman. 

As per the court rules, until unless the prisoner is a ‘very very’ high risk prisoner or a prisoner of high profile case(s), he should not be handcuffed. So, the policeman has to hold his hand and lock with his fingers that is why the policeman is not provided with arms. Even if he has a weapon he cannot use it in case of emergency as his one hand is engaged in holding the prisoner. Also, it increases the possibility that the prisoner might overpower the policeman and snatch his arm tugged on the belt,” the source added.

“The life of a prisoner and eye-witnesses is always at risk when he/she is inside the court premises. Rival gang members take the advantage of policemen being unarmed and staff crunch to attack the prisoners. Not only this, but there have been instances when the policemen have been attacked to free the criminal from police custody while being produced in the courts,” another officer said.

“Until unless we meet the shortage ratio, these attacks on policemen and the prisoners cannot be averted,” the official added.