Rise in knife attacks: Police jab in dark, file FIRs under strict sections

Bhopal: At the heart of the recent crime spiral in the city are rising incidents of knife attacks. While there are no hard leads for the police to suggest any pattern or motive for these attacks, they suspect the involvement of both habitual offenders and first-time attackers. Officials said that while the overall number of such crimes has not significantly increased compared to previous years, the registration of FIRs in serious bodily offences has gone up, prompting the sleuths to push for stricter legal action against those involved. During the Holi celebrations, as many as four violent crimes were reported in the city in a single day, including one of attempt to murder and three separate cases of attempt to commit culpable homicide. Apart from these, there have been reports of one or two cases of attempt to murder or commit culpable homicide being registered at various police stations on a daily basis. Stringent sections were being invoked to deter such crimes, a senior police officer told TOI, adding, "Whenever or wherever someone commits an attack with knives or other sharp weapons, the accused is identified and booked under serious sections such as attempt to murder or attempt to commit culpable homicide. The principal objective to slap stringent sections against the culprits is to ensure they serve as deterrents against such crimes."Kotwali: Man stabbed over old disputeIn the latest in the series of stabbing incidents in the city, two youths allegedly stabbed a 25-year-old man in the Kotwali area on Thursday, March 12. The incident was suspected to be the fallout of an old rivalry or dispute. The victim sustained serious injuries to his head, back and legs and was rushed to a hospital. A case of attempt to murder was registered against the accused by cops.According to police, the victim, identified as 25-year-old Mohammed Altaf, a resident of Jawahar Colony in Aishbagh, is an electrician by profession. In his statement, he said he had earlier filed a complaint against the accused, whom he identified as Aman and Faizan, alleging that they pressured him into withdrawing the case.Police said that on March 12, around 3.30 pm, Altaf was at Noor Mahal Road in the Kotwali area to get his motorcycle repaired when the accused spotted him and allegedly attacked him with knives. Angry over his refusal to withdraw the complaint, they allegedly stabbed him multiple times before fleeing the spot. Altaf, who was hospitalised in a critically injured state, is still undergoing treatment.Police role question after repeat incidentsThe trail of violent crimes, especially stabbing incidents that are suspected to have been committed by both habitual offenders and listed criminals, in recent weeks has raised concerns over alleged lapses in policing. The city police maintains a record of habitual offenders and listed criminals to keep track of cases and criminals, cops claim. The police also claim to take effective preventive action against them in a bid to prevent such crimes. However, the rising count of violent crimes has called into question the effectiveness of policing, monitoring and enforcement of law and order in city amid claims of strict action.First-time culprits driving concernSenior police officials said while most such attacks were carried out by known criminals and habitual offenders, there have been some cases in the recent past where individuals, with no prior criminal record, were found to have attacked their rivals with knives and sticks during disputes. Several recent cases also revealed the involvement of minors in violent assaults, the police said, raising further civic concern in the city.Sharing an insight into the minds and motivations of the culprits, senior officers said youngsters often resort to such violent crimes in trying to build a ‘bold' image among their peers and assert their dominance over their victims. Such youths are often found frequenting places such as pool clubs, hookah lounges and cafés. Strict action necessary: Top copWeighing in on the upward spiral in violent crime, police commissioner Sanjay Kumar said, "It is not that the number of cases in the city has increased. Whenever someone commits a crime using a knife or sharp weapon, we book them under strict sections. Anyone carrying a knife can commit a serious crime, which is why strict action is necessary for deterrence. We remain focussed on crime control and in preventing recurrence of such incidents."