GURUGRAM: On a day when the three new criminal laws replaced the colonial-era system in the country, Gurugram became one of the few places to witness how heinous crimes are dealt with at the police level under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that replaces the Indian Penal Code. The two other new laws are the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) which will replace the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act.Delhi, too, saw the first FIR being lodged early Monday under Section 285 of the BNS. The section prosecutes the offender for danger or obstruction in a public way or line of navigation. Hours later, Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that the cops used the provision to review it and dismissed that case.In Gurugram, a 9-year-old girl was allegedly strangulated to death with a cloth by her teen neighbour, who later set her body on fire with the help of white naphthalene balls, police said. The accused is a minor, who wanted to steal jewellery. A senior Gurugram police officer said a PCR call around 10.45 am from a highrise society informed them about the murder of a girl child.The police informed the Forensic Science Laboratory, whose personnel examined the crime scene. As per the new law, the crime scene was photographed and videographed—mandatory under the BNS.The mother of the victim told the police that around 10 am she returned from her neighbour’s flat along with her son and found the iron gate of her house locked from inside while another wooden door was open.She saw her neighbour’s 16-year-old son and noticed foul smell of burning from her flat. She got suspicious following which people from the adjacent flat also rushed to help her but they were unable to open the door. The Fire Department had to be called.Based on the woman’s complaint, cops registered an FIR, the first under the newly implemented BNS and apprehended the accused. “The stolen jewellery is recovered,” the police officer said.What’s new in the lawAs per the new law, the evidence collection process at the crime scene has to be mandatorily videographed to prevent evidence tampering. In the event of an arrest, the individual has the right to inform a person of his choice about his situation.
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