Bhopal: Hit-And-Run In Rural Belt Accused Out Of Police Lens As Lack Of CCTV Surveillance Hampers Probe

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Absence of CCTV cameras in several rural areas of Bhopal is indirectly helping the hit-and-run cases’ accused in giving cops the slip. Free Press on Thursday took stock of the total number of accidents that took place in the rural belt of the city. Data provided by the SP (rural) office revealed that as many as 263 accidents have taken place till mid-2023, out of which 197 of them are hit-and-run cases. The rural areas like Eintkhedi, Parwalia and Berasia are still not under CCTV surveillance. The accused involved in a total of 138 hit-and-run cases are still miles away from the police scanner.

Senior officials of the city rural police said Sukhi Sewaniya has emerged as the accident hot-spot in the rural belt, where despite the presence of CCTVs cameras, the accused have managed to flee and police are clueless of the accused. On being asked, the officials said that the CCTV cameras though present were low in number and not even properly placed, thereby failing to capture the registration number of the vehicle being driven by the accused.

Low resolution of the cameras is yet another problem, which sometimes makes it difficult for the cops to even comprehend the vehicle that was being driven, let alone the registration number of the vehicle.

Other officials at the SP (RURAL Bhopal) office said there are no CCTV cameras in Nazirabad and Berasia. Nazirabad is an area surrounded by forests, where hardly any commuting is observed, they added. Continuing their statements, they said that most of the CCTV cameras installed in rural Bhopal are private, while no government CCTV cameras have been put up there.

Application sent to PHQ: SP (Rural)

Superintendent of police (SP) of rural Bhopal, Kiranlata Kerketta said a letter has been written to the planning and development department of the police headquarters (PHQ) to install CCTV cameras in rural areas of the city. CCTV cameras were not installed on priority as the rural city police do not come under Bhopal police commissionerate system.