Bengaluru : Whitefield Police introduce 'Blind Box' to fight illegal activities
BENGALURU : Want to report something illegal, but scared to reveal your identity? The Whitefield police have a solution: a “blind box”. All you have to do now is write down what you want to report to the police and drop it in the box.
The Whitefield police, who celebrated Independence Day on the theme ‘freedom from drugs,’ have set up the blind box to enable people to tip them off anonymously.
Abdul Ahad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Whitefield, who launched the campaign on Wednesday, put up one such box at the Forum Neighbourhood Mall. “The idea is to help people who want to give information about illegal activities anonymously,” he said.
“There are many residents who know about illegal activities in their vicinities, but are scared to inform the police, fearing their identity would be compromised. If people have to complain via phone or email, their names or numbers will be revealed. The blind box will not only help such people, but will also help the police crack down on illegal activities,” he added.
The Whitefield division has reported a substantial number of drug abuse cases recently. This is not only affecting the young generation, but is also posing a threat to the law and order situation, which needs to be redressed effectively, Mr. Ahad said.
The blind box will be taken to the police station every week, and information received through anonymous letters will be sorted and action taken, the police said. The larger idea is to facilitate greater public-police cooperation and contain the drug menace.
The police at the jurisdictional level have also started coordinating with schools, colleges, commercial establishments, and private company representatives to exchange information and contain the menace.
The Whitefield police are also planning to extend the blind box facility to other stations under their jurisdiction soon.
courtesy: thehindu.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SGPC writes to Mann, seeks ban on 'Emergency' in Punjab a day before release
Amritsar, Jan 16 (PTI): The SGPC on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a ban on the release of Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency' saying it "tarnishes" the image of Sikhs and "misrepresents" history.
Actor and BJP MP Ranaut's 'Emergency' is slated to release in cinemas on January 17.
In the letter to Mann, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed strong objection to Ranaut's film.
Dhami said that if the film is released in Punjab, it will spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state.
The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, had earlier also protested the film.
"It has come to our attention that the movie 'Emergency' produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked," its letter to Mann read.
Dhami said the SGPC had also protested the release of the movie in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary on November 14 last year.
"But it is sad that the Punjab government has not taken any step till now. If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world," the current letter read.
Dhami said the SGPC will submit a letter also to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.
The SGPC denounced the "character assassination" of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Khalistani militant killed in 1984 in a military operation.
"If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level," Dhami said.
In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the producers of the 'Emergency' film, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove the objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.
In the notice, the producers of the film, including Kangana Ranaut, were asked to remove the trailer released on August 14 from all public and social media platforms and tender a written apology to the Sikh community.
The SGPC objected to film writing separate letters to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification.
