Priority is to build confidence among people, provide peaceful environment: Bengaluru top cop
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Bengaluru (PTI): Just hours after taking charge as the City Police Commissioner, Seemant Kumar Singh on Friday said the main priority is to build confidence among the people and provide a peaceful environment for them to stay here.
Singh, a 1996 batch IPS officer took charge as Bengaluru's top cop late night on Thursday, after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suspended City Police Commissioner B Dayananda and other officers for dereliction of duty in connection with Wednesday's stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed lives of 11 people and injured 56 people.
Speaking on the situation in which he took charge, he said, “It’s a difficult situation, no doubt. But basic policing is my priority, and I’ll be discussing with my officers and (will take note of) the feedback given by the public and press and all others. And based on that, I’ll take up the issues one by one”.
Earlier, Singh was serving as Additional Director General of Police, Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force.
According to him, at this point, he cannot say what is his priority unless he discusses with his officers but reiterated that the situation is challenging.
“I cannot right now say which is my priority, because it will be wrong unless and until I discuss with my officers. But certainly, the situation is challenging, and the main priority is to build the confidence among the people. Bangalore City Police is for you and will always be with you and provide a peaceful environment for you to stay here," Singh told PTI Videos.
Responding to a question on the alleged system failure that led to stampede, the top cop said that it’s very premature for him as an officer to tell that. “Some things must have gone wrong. We’ll discuss about that,” he added.
When asked on growing concern about political interference in police decisions, he said, he is not aware about it and that he will be concentrating on basic policing and try to give the best, “Whatever best practices we have, and that should take care of it.”
When asked what changes Bengaluru can expect in crowd management and traffic, he said “crowd management is very important, and innocent life should not go, or people should not be suffering because of traffic. It’s very important, but certainly it requires a very detailed approach, which I’ll certainly look into.”
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3 Indians arrested in Canada for shooting outside home
Ottawa (PTI): Three Indian nationals have been arrested by Canadian police on an anti-extortion patrol and charged after bullets were fired at a home.
Harjot Singh (21), Taranveer Singh (19) and Dayajeet Singh Billing (21) face one count each of discharging a firearm, and all have been remanded in custody until Thursday, the Surrey Police Service (SPS) said in a statement on Monday.
The suspects were arrested by patrol officers after an early morning report of shots fired and a small fire outside a home in Surrey's Crescent Beach neighbourhood, the LakelandToday reported.
On February 1, 2026, the SPS members were patrolling in Surrey’s Crescent Beach neighbourhood when reports came in of shots being fired and a small fire outside a residence near Crescent Road and 132 Street.
The three accused were arrested by SPS officers a short time later, the statement said.
SPS’s Major Crime Section took over the investigation, and the three men have now been charged with Criminal Code offences, it said.
All three have been charged with one count each of discharging a firearm into a place contrary to section 244.2(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be forthcoming. All three have been remanded in custody until February 5, 2026.
The SPS has confirmed they are all foreign nationals and has engaged the Canada Border Services Agency, it said.
One of the suspects suffered injuries, including two black eyes, the media report said.
Surrey police Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said on Monday that the suspect had refused to comply with instructions to get out of the ride-share vehicle and started to "actively resist."
"As we were trained, he was taken to the ground and safely handcuffed," said Houghton.
A second suspect with a black eye was also injured in the arrest after refusing to comply, Houghton said.
The arresting officers were part of Project Assurance, an initiative that patrols neighbourhoods that have been targeted by extortion violence.
Houghton said the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is also involved because the men are foreign nationals, and the trio may face additional charges.
It's not clear if the men are in the country on tourist visas, a study permit, or a work permit, but Houghton said CBSA has started its own investigation into the men's status.
Surrey has seen a number of shootings at homes and businesses over the last several months, but there's been an escalation since the new year.
