1620. Apart from performing their primary duty of Prevention and Detection , the Police many a time will have to perform other multifarious duties in maintaining public order such as;
a) arrangements at Fairs & Festivals
b) manage large assemblies during public functions, processions, strike, agitations, etc.
c) relief works and other assistance at the times of natural calamities
d) Duties when accidents occur involving loss of human life and properties
e) Security arrangements during the visits of VVIP etc.
The following are some of the instructions given for the guidance of Police Officers handling the aforesaid situations.
LIST OF FESTIVALS TO BE KEPT
1621. (a) A list of festivals in the district and of those festivals of other districts to which men have to be sent, shall be kept in Form No.165 in each District Police Office and an extract sent to each Circle Inspector/PI SHO, who will enter it in the Circle Information Book/Station Crime History Part IV at the Police Station.
b) The list will specify the number of officers and constables who should attend the festival and all stations and districts from which they should be sent.
C) Circle Inspector / PI SHO should gather additional information regarding the festival such as i) type of festival ii) gathering expected and iii) scale of bundobust required with the reason and make detailed note in Circle Information Book / SCH part IV.
INSTRUCTION FOR MANAGING LARGE ASSEMBLIES
1622. The following instructions for managing large assemblies are given :
(1) No Head Constable or Constable of less than three years` service or who is a native of the place of assembly should be sent for bandobust duty.
(2) Head Constables or Constables detailed for this duty should not be allowed to take their families
. (3) Care should be taken that they do not get away to festivals on independent duty, such as on the pretext of serving warrants..
(4) Camps may be erected for the accommodation of the staff.
(5) If necessary, the locality should be divided into sections, with a definite number of Head Constables and Constables allotted to each section. A reserve force, sufficient to ensure the suppression of a disturbance at its outset, but not necessarily of considerable strength, should be available. When it is necessary to detail a force of considerable strength, a buglar should be included in it.
(6) Outposts, with police and medical staff in charge, should be established round the locality in order to examine persons suspected to be suffering from an infections disease or to have come from an infected locality.
(7) Each Police Officer attending the festival on duty should be given a specific duty to perform, to which he will adhere during the entire festival. His camp, station section, and hours of duty should be specified in writing in the form given below:-
Constable Name District Camp No. Section Duty Hours
Number
(8) Constables should not be employed for more than six hours at a stretch.
(9) As a general rule, not more than ten constables should be employed under one Head Constable.
(10) Arrangements should be made to have the locality lighted throughout the night.
(11) Fire engines should be secured where necessary with a sufficient number of Fire-men.
(12) If circumstances render it necessary, a “Lost Children Office” and a “Lost Property Office” , should be opened with a sufficient number of constables in charge. Funds should also be provided for “Lost Children Office” for the feeding of the children.
(13) Rules regarding the regulation of traffic at such places and on such occasions as may be necessary, should be published and the constables instructed to carry them out carefully. The stopping of traffic should be done only when it is in the interests of the vast majority of the visitors.
(14) In mobilising the Railway Police Force required for duty at a railway station in connection with a festival , the requirements of other principal stations on the railway line should also be considered and a sufficient number of constables should be detailed for duty at those stations.
(15) (a) The number of constables required for duty at the temporary booking offices and waiting sheds at railway stations, wharfs and other places where rush of people is likely should be correctly estimated. Accidents are likely to occur during the rush of passengers into the train when an enclosure is opened and at wharfs. To prevent such accidents, it is desirable to employ a sufficient number of constables, preferably under the supervision of an experienced officer inside such enclosures. Cripples, women and children may be separated and allowed to go first in preference to able-bodied persons.
(b)The work of the police may be lightened by having more exits than one to enclosures and barriers, within them facilitating the formation of queues which might ease the strain.
(16) Off duty Constables must not be allowed to go about in uniform.
(17) The constables deputed for duty at the festival should be detained until after the majority of the pilgrims have left.
(18) Each Police Officer on duty should be given a printed memorandum of instructions in Kannada as to what his duties are. The principal duties of the Police Officers are:-
(a) To maintain a careful watch over sanitary arrangements and to prevent nuisance being committed and not to wait until they are committed and then arrest and charge the offenders. This should particularly be the case where women and children are concerned.
(b) To report to the Medical Officer on duty of small-pox, gastro-enterists and other contagious or infectious diseases.
(c) When on patrol duty not to interfere with the people but to prevent crimes and offences, preserve the peace, keep order, and mark down depredators and bad characters.
(d) To warn people not to drink or take water from prohibited places.
(e) To see that parking places are kept clean.
(f) Not to harass pilgrims but to be as courteous as possible , and be a help but not a nuisance to them.
(g) To send children or lost property to the “Lost Children Office” or “Lost Property Office” if such offices exist; and if not, to the nearest police station, and to direct persons in search of lost children or property to go there.
(h) To report fires to the nearest temporary Fire Station and/or fire service station and Police.
(i) To take injured persons to the nearest medical camp/hospital in cases of accidents.
(j) When on duty at temples, to prevent nuisances and crimes and report to the Inspector-in-charge, all cases of importance.
(k) Not to go about in uniform while on/off-duty.
(l) To adhere strictly to the orders regarding the regulation of traffic.
CONSTABLES TO BE ARMED WITH LATHIES
1623. (1) Constables employed on miscellaneous duties on the occasion of large assemblies such as festivals, processions and the like, will invariably be armed with lathies.
(2) Whistle calls in emergencies – Should an emergency arise which necessitates the assemblage of Constables and Head Constables employed singly or in small parties, the signal will be two long blasts repeated at intervals, as necessary.
(3) Immediately on hearing the whistle such Police Officers who could leave their place of duty , should double up towards the sound of the whistle and take such orders as are necessary from the senior officer on the spot.
OTHER ARRANGEMENTS TO BE MADE:
1624. (1) The officer in-charge of the Bandobust will arrange for a public address system to announce the details of the missing persons or to give instructions to the public with a view to helping them.
(2) The officer in-charge should liaison with the Home Guards and Fire Force Department for the deployment of the Home Guards. The Home Guards deployed should be treated with due courtesy and provided with the wireless and telephone facilities.
(3) A temporary health centre should be got set up through the concerned department and sufficient quantity of medicines should be got stored. An ambulance should also be stationed. Qualified doctors should be available with sufficient supporting staff in the health centre.
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE TO BE PRESENT
1625. The Inspector General of Police of the Range should be present at specially large festivals.
1626. (1) Whenever there is a proposal to celebrate a festival in which a pandal within enclosures is likely to be erected, the Station House Officer concerned should arrange with the authorities in charge of the festival to provide a sufficient number of exits of suitable dimension on all the sides of the pandal sufficiently high to prevent all danger of its catching fire from torches or other naked lights which may be used in the pandal during the festival. The pandal should be got inspected by the PWD authorities for its worthiness and the electric installations should be got inspected by the KEB authorities. The nearest fire stations should be intimated to make necessary fire precaution arrangements including stationing fire tenders at the place of festival.
TEMPLE CARS AND RAFTS
1627. The following instructions are issued in regard to the examination of temple cars and rafts:
(1) Superintendent or the Commissioner, as the case may be, should notify the authorities of every temple, which owns a car or in which rafts are used in the theppam festivals, that an application to examine the car or rafts as regards its structural stability and safety, should be made to the nearest Station House Officer so as to reach him two months before the date fixed for any festival at which the car or raft is to be used and that if an application is late, there will be the risk of its being rejected.
(2) Each Station House Officer should keep a list of car or theppam festivals held
within his jurisdiction and see that the temple authorities give him in good time
the notice referred to in Sub Order(1).
(3) (a) In the case of a temple car, the Station House Officer should satisfy himself that the car is in safe condition to be dragged in procession. If the Station House Officer considers that a temple car is unsafe, he should send a report to that effect, at least twenty-one days before the festival, to the Executive Magistrate with a copy simultaneously to the nearest Public Works Department Officer not lower in rank than a Sub Divisional Officer. The Sub-Divisional Officer will then inspect the car and report the result of his inspection to the said Magistrate.
(b) In respect of a raft, the police should send atleast twenty-one days before the
festival (i) a report to the Executive Magistrate and (ii) a request to the
nearest Public Works Department Officer not lower in rank than a Sub-
Divisional Officer to examine the raft.
(4) If a car or raft considered to be unsafe is not certified safe before the festivals,
the Station House Officer should immediately obtain an order from the
Executive Magistrate preventing the car or raft from being used. Circle
Inspector should also pay attention to this matter.
(5) Anything which may lead to danger to life should be prevented by the police.
1628. (1) On the out-break of fire the police officer in the vicinity shall summon the fire tender. He shall inform the camp Police Station established at the site of the festival of the fire accident, who will in turn keep the senior officers as well as the nearest police station informed. The extent of fire should be assessed for the need of additional fire tenders and the nearest fire station should also be immediately alerted.
(2) Requisition for medical assistance and the ambulance should be made and the presence of the Doctor and an Ambulance secured.
(3) Send to the scene of fire all available fire-hooks rakes and fire buckets in places where there is no fire force.
Report to the Sub-Divisional Police Officer and Superintendent any fire involving loss of human life or damage to property.
HELP FROM NEIGHBOURING STATIONS :
1629. In all major fire accidents, at places where there are two or more police stations within easy reach, the senior Police Office present at the scene of the outbreak shall summon from the neighbouring police stations or Armed Reserve, wherever it is available, such number of men as he considered necessary to control the crowds or assist in putting down the fire.
KEEPING THE SCENE CLEAR
1630. (i) As soon as sufficient number of Police Officers are present, the senior Police Officer shall detail men to draw a cordon round the fire, to keep back the crowd, mark hydrants or other sources of water-supply and approaches to them.
(ii) He shall detail constables required to guard the property and keep a sharp look-out for any pilfering by the crowd. Loiterers should be moved beyond the cordon.
KEEPING POLICE IN RESERVE
1631. A police Officer shall be deputed to take charge of all Police personnel as they arrive and tell them off for duty. All those who are not immediately required for duty shall be kept in reserve in a body under this officer.
FIRST STEPS AT A FIRE
1632. 1) On Arrival at the scene of fire, the steps to be taken by the Police are:-
. (i) to get every person out of the building and endeavour to rescue persons in
peril;
(ii) to examine out-houses and cattle sheds in which any animal is, cover its eyes
with sack or cloth, lead it out or cut it loose, and allow it to escape.
(iii) to cut off the electric current to the building;
(iv) to render first-aid to injured persons before medical assistance arrives ;
(v) to remove injured persons to the hospital by the quickest conveyance
available;
(vi) to cause the removal of all movable properties placing them as far as
possible in one spot and causing them to be guarded against theft;
(vii) to deliver to the parties concerned under proper acknowledgements, property
so removed.
(viii) Action pending arrival of fire engine – In localities where fire engines are
stationed, the Police Officers present shall pending the arrival of the engine,
take all possible steps to extinguish the fire and prevent its spreading by
removing all inflammable materials near the fire;
(ix) Directing the fire engine.- (a) The exact spot where the fire is burning can
seldom be understood on receipt of the call at the fire station. It is, therefore,
most important that people and Police Officers, if available, should be stationed
on the main street down which the engine must come, to direct it. The Police
Officer first on the spot shall see to this,
(b) Besides directing the fire-engine to the scene of fire, it is equally important
that the Police Officer first on the spot shall find out where the nearest hydrants or other sources of water supply are situated and inform the officer incharege of the fire tender on arrival at the scene and direct it to the hydrant or other water supply
(c) A list of all Police Officers who worked in extinguishing the fire shall be recorded.
POWER OF THE POLICE ON OCCASION OF FIRES
2) Section 81 of the Indian Penal Code gives protection to Police Officers causing damages or obstruction in good faith for the purpose of fire-fighting.
Any Police Officer above the rank of constable may, on the occasion of fire:-
(i) remove or order the removal of any persons who, by their presence interfere with or impede the operations for extinguishing the fire or for saving life or property, and close any street or passage in or near which any fire is burning.
(ii) by himself or those acting under his orders, break into or pull down or use for the passage of hoses or other appliances, any premises for the purpose of extinguishing the fire, doing as little damage as possible;
(iii) cause the mains or pipes in any area to be shut off so as to give greater pressure of water in the place where the fire has occurred;
(iv) call on the person in charge of any fire-engine at places where there is no branch of the Karnataka Fire Force, to render such assistance as may be possible;
(v) generally take such measures as may appear necessary for the preservation of life and property.
List of Hydrants to be hung up in Police Stations
3) A list of hydrants where these have been installed or other sources of water supply as are likely to be useful to extinguish fire in the station limits shall be hung up in each police station and every Police Officer shall be made to know their position.
Fire Force Responsible for Fire-Fighting : Police Responsible for Maintenance of Law and Order.
4) In localities where there are sections of the Karnataka Fire Force and after their personnel have arrived, they will be solely responsible for dealing with the fire and the senior fire officer present will be in charge of the operations. The police will, on no account, take any part in the actual fire-fighting unless called upon to do so by the fire officer-in-charge. Police are primarily responsible for maintaining order and controlling the crowds at the scene of fire in order that the fire force personnel may not in any way be obstructed in their work.
5) The police shall closely co-operate with fire force units wherever these are stationed and shall from time to time hold combined fire practices.
Destitute Persons
1633. i) Destitute persons found dying of disease or starvation must be taken to the nearest
hospital or dispensary and ensured proper attention.
Disposal of Corpses of Destitute Persons
ii) The dead bodies of destitute travellers or strangers who die in hospitals or on the wayside may be made over to hospitals for anatomical purposes where such provisions and facilities exist; otherwise, they may be cremated or buried by the police.
Stretchers
1634. One or two stretchers for carrying sick or injured persons to hospital shall be kept in town police stations.
TREATMENT OF LUNATICS
1635. (1) (a) Under Section 13 (1) of the Indian Lunacy Act, 1912 (Act IV of 1912), every Officer-in-charge of a Police Station may arrest or cause to be arrested all lunatics found wandering at large. Every lunatic so arrested shall be taken forthwith to a First Class Magistrate.
(b) “ at large” means that they are found at a distance from their residence, and obviously uncared for or uncontrolled by their proper guardians.
(2) Under Section 13 (2) of the said Act, it is the duty of every Officer-in-charge of a Police Station immediately to report to a First Class Magistrate any instance of a lunatic within the limits of his station not being under proper care and control or being cruelly treated or neglected by any relative or other person having the care of such lunatic.
(3) When a person arrested as a lunatic is being taken to the Magistrate, he may be confined in police lock-ups or sub-jails if no other place of safe custody is available. After his production, it will rest with the Magistrate to prescribe the place of detention.
(4) Criminal lunatics should be confined in sub-jails or district jails according to the stage of the inquiry.
(5) (a) When a lunatic is sent to a mental hospital, the Magistrate or Police Officer who dispatches the persons is responsible to see that escort is provided with sufficient means to provide such articles as milk, coffee, bread or any suitable cooked food for the use of the insane during the journey to the hospital. In case the insane refuses food or becomes sick, he should be taken to the nearest hospital. Every female insane should be accompanied by a female attendant or relative, in addition to the usual police escort.
(b) Criminal lunatics, recovered and un-recovered , when sent by rail should not be allowed to mix with other passengers but should be placed with their escort or attendants in a separate compartment.
(c) A police escort accompanying a mental patient for any purpose should wear plain clothes and be unarmed and should be provided with hand-cuffs to be used when necessary. A conveyance should be provided for taking him from place to place.
(6) When required by a Magistrate, the police shall obtain and furnish the information necessary for the compilation of the lunatics’ medical history sheet. The police should furnish the Medical Officer to whom the lunatic is sent for observation, with all available details as to his previous history and the alleged causes of his insanity.
(7) When required by the Superintendent of the mental hospital, the police shall take such steps as are necessary to bring to the mental hospital, a mental patient temporarily discharged therefrom, who is not produced before the Superintendent of the mental hospital whenever he is required to be produced or on the date of the termination of the period of temporary discharge.
LEPERS
1636. (1) The Station House Officer should report to the Inspector of Lepers the presence of a leper in his limits with a view to having the leper duly registered under Section 6 of the Lepers Act.
(2) Under Section 6 (2) (a) of the Act, any Police Officer may arrest without warrant any person who appears to him to be a pauper leper and under Section 2(b) send or take such leper to the nearest police station.
(3) Under Section 7(1) (a), such a leper should be produced before the Inspector of Lepers.
(4) Under Section 7(1)(b), if a certificate is given by the Inspector of Lepers, the leper should then be produced before a Magistrate having jurisdiction under the Act.
(5) If a Circle Inspector receives information that a leper is not being properly taken care of by any friend or relative of the leper and that in consequence, infection is likely to spread to other persons, a report should be made to the Inspector of Lepers for further action being taken under the Act.
(6) Under Section 13, any Police Officer may, without a warrant, re-arrest any leper who escapes from or leaves the asylum without the permission in writing of the Superintendent thereof and take him back to the asylum
HYDROPHOBIA AND STRAY DOGS
1637. (1) The Officer-in-charge of a Police Station should report to the Superintendent all cases in which human beings or animals have died of hydrophobia within his jurisdiction, with a note as to whether the number of dogs has been kept down in that locality or not.
(2) The destruction of dogs must be regulated in accordance with the provisions of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963 in consultation with the Health Officer of the area.
(3) When a dog is detained under Sub-Section (3) of Section 43, a memorandum of the cost incurred in keeping the dog for three days or until claimed by the owner should be presented to the owner claiming the dog or sent to him with a demand for payment, after three days. Should he fail in the last case to pay within seven days, intimation of the claim should be sent to the District Magistrate for recovery. If the owner remains untraced , the dog may be sold or destroyed as laid down in Section 43(3) of the Karnataka Police Act.
(4) The intimation about a dog having been taken possession of by the police should be given to the owner of the dog under Sub-Section (2) of Section 43 of the Act.
POLICE TO ACCOMPANY TROOPS ON THE MARCH
(5) When a requisition is made by defence authorities, troops on the march should be accompanied by a Police Officer and a few constables. For a small body of troops, a Sub-Inspector or Head Constable will suffice. If the number is large, an Inspector should be in attendance.
SEARCH AND RESCUE OF AIRCRAFT IN DISTRESS
1638. (a) Chapter V of, and other relevant extracts from, the booklet “Organisation and Procedure for Search and Rescue of Aircraft in distress”, circulated by the Civil Aviation Directorate, Government of India.
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS - PROCEDURE IN
1639. 1. On receipt of information about an aircraft accident, the SHO who received the information should immediately send a message to the Director General of Civil Aviation, New Delhi, by the quickest available means with a copy to the Officer in-charge of the Area Inspection Office and to his superiors through wireless or telephone, and immediately proceed to the spot.
2. The Police Officer on reaching the scene should immediately
(a) take steps to guard the wreckage and the surrounding ground as detailed in Section 2 of the Notes for the Guidance of local authorities in the investigation of accidents to aircrafts.
(b) Make arrangements to rescue and shift the injured to the nearest Hospital. If need be a medical team should be summoned to the scene.
(c) inform the nearest Fire Station for arranging as many fire tenders as possible to the spot.
(d) Alert all the major hospitals nearby.
(e) Arrangements to safe guards the evidence at scene should be made.
3) The arrangements for safeguarding the evidence normally include -
(i) Guarding of the wreckage,
(ii) collection and sealing of all documents including Black Box which may be required for the information,
(iii) taking photographs of the wreckage, marks on the ground, etc.
(iv) preservation of any parts of the air crafts or relevant matter picked up away from the wreckage; the positions at which they were found should also be recorded on a sketch together with the names and addresses of the persons finding them; and
(v) recording of the names and addresses of all eye-witnesses and any action taken as may be necessary by circumstances peculiar to the accident.
4) All the above evidence collected should be made available to the Investigating Officer of the Civil Aviation Directorate on his arrival. The Police Officer should collect information also on the points below:-
(a) Type, nationality and registration marks of the aircraft;
(b) Name of the owner, operator and hirer, if any, of the aircraft;
(c) Name of the pilot-in-command and other crew members.
(d) Date and time (I.S.T.) of the accident;
(e) Last point of departure and point of intended landing of the aircraft;
(f) Position of the aircraft with reference to some easily defined geographical
point;
(g) Number of passengers;
(h) Numbers killed or seriously injured and their names;
(a) Nature of the accident and the extent of damage to the aircraft so far as is
known.
5) As regards any persons who have been killed as a result of the accident, the Police Officer will proceed as in the case of other accidental deaths.
6) All the above information should be immediately sent by quickest possible means apart from immediate Senior Officers to the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police who in turn will keep the DIG/IG /ADG(INT)/ADG L&o and the Director General informed.
7) If the information about the occurrence of aircraft accident is received by the Executive Magistrate of the jurisdiction, he should also at once proceed to the scene of the accident and in coordination with the officer in charge of the Police Station and the local aircraft control, send a message with all available information to the Director General of Civil Aviation, New Delhi, by the quickest available means with a copy to the officer in charge of the Area Inspection Office.
(8) If there is any delay in the arrival of such Investigating Officer, such information as is considered useful to supplement the report already sent to the Director-General of Civil Aviation should be sent by the Police Officer on the spot. Copies of these reports should be sent by the quickest means to the District Magistrate and to the Superintendent who, in turn, will keep the Director General, ADG L&O and the IPG/Deputy Inspector General informed.
(9) There must be no delay in permitting the police or the airline operator in the absence of the police, to remove the deceased after identification, if possible. The position from which each body has been removed and its condition should be noted. This information should be supplemented by photographs and sketches , if practicable. The responsibility for the removal and disposal of bodies in an aircraft accident, as in any other accident, is that of the police. The V.D.P. Dalapathi and any officers arriving earlier should ensure that the bodies are covered up properly till they are removed. All possible assistance should be given to the police to remove the bodies as soon as possible. The police, who will take charge of the bodies at the scene of the accident, will hand them over to the operating company, after the formalities are completed. The owners of the aircraft are responsible for the disposal of the bodies, i.e., for handing them over to the relations of the deceased or arranging their funeral.
(10) In case of death of the pilot, the police and the aircraft operator should be informed that post-mortem examination of the pilot might be necessary, specially if information is available that the aircraft crashed out of control or if sudden incapacity in the flight is suspected.
(11) Police Officers will work in close co-operation and render such assistance as is required to the Investigating Officers of the Civil Aviation Department.
(12) As regards the further action by the local authorities described in Section III of the “Notes for the Guidance of Local Authorities in the Investigation of Accidents to Aircraft” this will be conducted by such person and in such manner as the District Magistrate may direct.
(13) It has to be noted that the Indian Aircraft Act, 1954, or the rules made thereunder do not lay down the duties and responsibilities of Police Officers. The Director-General of Civil Aviation, New Delhi, considers that the administrative requirement of his department will be satisfied if the following action is taken by the police when they become aware of an accident occurring in their jurisdiction:
(a) In addition to removal and preservation of damaged aircraft and prevention of interference with it, the police should, immediately on receipt of information about an aircraft accident, notify the Director-General of Civil Aviation, by the quickest means possible.
(b) In the absence of an officer of the Civil Aviation Department, the police should take effective steps to safeguard evidence and ensure that all papers and other articles, which may be strewn about the wreckage area, are collected and kept in safe custody for handing them over to the Inspector of Accidents . Components of the wreckage and other relevant material should, however, be left where they lie unless it is not possible to do so for any special reason, in which case the positions in which they were found should be accurately recorded in a sketch, together with the name and address of the persons, if any, finding them.
(c) All marks made by the aircraft on the ground should be preserved by preventing access to the area covered by the wreckage trail.
(d) Statements recorded by the police from persons who may have witnessed the accident should be made available to the Inspector of Accidents. The Police should also assist the Inspector of Accidents in collecting evidence.
(e) Adequate guard should be maintained until the wreckage is released by the Director General of Civil Aviation.
(14) For offence under the Indian Aircraft Rules, prosecutions are normally launched with the approval of and under instruction from the Government of India. Other offences may be dealt with by the police in the normal course of their duty. If necessary, the Civil Aviation Department will assist the police in the analysis of evidence and, in due course, release the findings of their investigation.
AIR CRAFT ACCIDENTS - PROCEDURE IN
1640. The procedure to be followed for notifying Aircraft accidents involving Indian Air Force Aircrafts is contained in the note circulated by the Government of India in their letter No. 71A.A 44/64, dated 30th April 1965.
The note lays down -
(i) how Aircraft accidents should be reported;
(ii) What arrangements should be made for guarding the wreckage;
(iii) the preparation of list of eye-witnesses to the accident to facilitate
investigation; and
(iv) the facilities to be afforded for searching for the missing Aircraft etc.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POLICE IN REGARD TO NATURAL CALAMITIES LIKE EARTHQUAKES , TIDAL WAVES, FLOODS AND RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
1641. (1) In the case of calamities like earthquakes, tidal waves, floods and railway accidents, which occur without warning, no hard and fast rules as to the police arrangements to be made can be laid down, as much depends on the circumstances of each occurrence. However, it will be the duty of every Police Officer to render such measures as appear necessary for the preservation of life and property and the maintenance of law and Order. All possible assistance should be rendered to the Revenue, Public Works and other departments engaged in rescue, relief and rehabilitation work, so that the counter and remedial measures taken may be expeditious and effective. It is the duty of all Police Officers at all times to create a mental preparedness in their subordinates in regard to such natural calamities so that when emergencies arise, they would know how to meet the situation.
(2) There are some types of natural calamities which are to a certain extent foreseeable and against which, therefore, reasonable precaution could be taken, for instance, floods occur at particular periods of the year, generally during and immediately after the monsoons. Such floods generally take the form of inundation of low lying areas or the breaching of tank bunds or river embankments due to heavy rains either in the same locality or in upper reaches. In regard to the action to be taken by the police in respect of these types of natural calamities, reference should be made to the schemes drawn up and approved from time to time. The schemes provide for evacuation of people and cattle from inundated or threatened area, requisitioning of transport facilities for such evacuation and cordoning off of affected areas. The schemes also provide for patrols in affected areas to maintain law and order and for rescue parties to assist in the preservation of life and property. Arrangements should be made to co-ordinate rescue work and for the restoration of lost children to their parents or guardians, recovery and disposal of dead bodies, tracing of missing persons, investigation of cases, traffic control and location of wireless stations for quick communications.
(3) Whenever the local police get timely intimation of danger from floods, they should pass it on as soon as possible to the concerned district authorities like the Revenue, Public Work, Civic and Health Departments, so that they might commence mobilising their resources. They should also warn the inhabitants of the low-lying areas of the impending danger. The local police should take such action as is contemplated under the scheme and render all possible assistance to the officers of other departments without detriment to their essential duties.
(4) The Superintendent, on receipt of information, should proceed to the scene with as much force as he can mobilise, collect information as to the extent and seriousness of the situation and inform the Director General / ADG L&O / ADG (INT) / Range IGP and the District Magistrate by the quickest possible means. He should arrange to put the scheme into operation either wholly or partly depending upon the situation. He should issue instructions as contemplated in the scheme regarding the detailing of men, location of wireless stations and other measures to be adopted. According to the seriousness of the situation, he may requisition such help as he deems necessary, including reinforcements from the nearest unaffected district with the prior approval of the Director General. He may also, if necessary, request the District Magistrate to call for assistance from the Army or other Service units which may be stationed in or near the area. He should also warn the neighbouring district, which are likely to be affected by the floods, of the impending danger.
(5) The Sub-Divisional Police Officer in whose Jurisdiction the affected area lies will be in immediate charge of the operations under the general control and supervision of the Superintendent . The later should promptly report all important developments to the Director General and other concerned senior officers and the District Magistrate by wireless, followed by detailed reports as soon as possible.