Kolkata: In a significant move towards modernising evidence collection, Bengal Police on Wednesday unveiled 'E-Sakhyo', a digital portal that allows real-time upload of crime scene evidence. This initiative aligns with the newly implemented national legislation emphasising tamper-proof digital evidence collection.
The ‘E-Sakhyo' portal represents a paradigm shift in how evidence is recorded and preserved in the criminal justice system. Police officers can now directly upload videos of searches and seizures from their mobile devices to a secure server, with an additional option to transmit via WhatsApp. This digital evidence becomes immediately accessible to both courts and authorised police personnel.
This development comes in response to the recently enacted Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which replaced the traditional Indian Evidence Act. Under the new law, video recordings of seizure processes must be submitted to courts within 48 hours. Previously, officers recorded these videos on mobile devices and submitted them to courts via physical storage devices like pen drives.
According to sources, the portal was developed under the supervision of the state CID. All officers from the rank of ASI to DSP in the state police have been authorised to use it. The state's courts are also connected to it. A DSP in each district has been appointed as a nodal officer for using the portal.
According to police sources, training for this was conducted at Bhawani Bhawan for the nodal DSPs. A police officer mentioned that these nodal officers will train other police personnel in their districts on using the portal.