Devanjana Mukherjee, Khabri Media
The foundation of modern policing in Delhi was laid by the British colonial administration during their rule in India.
Pic: Social Media
On October 17, 1861, Delhi witnessed the establishment of its first-ever police station known as the Sabzi Mandi Police Station. This marked the beginning of a structured and organized law enforcement system in the city. Intriguingly, the first FIR in Delhi was registered on the very same day that the Police Station was inaugurated.
ALSO READ: Cyber cell busts crypto fraud
First Registered Theft Case
The matter was a theft of household items worth ’45 anna’, or about Rs 2.80, in an area that fell under the respective police station. The FIR was written part in Urdu, and part in Persian. It was registered by a person named Maiuddin, son of Mohammad AR Khan and a resident of Katra Sheesh Mahal under the jurisdiction of Sabji Mandi Police Station.
This case marked the first registered instance of theft where the stolen items included female clothes, a hookah, three small cooking pots (dekchi), one bowl (katora), and other items with an estimated value of ’45 anna’ (an anna was a currency unit formerly used in British India era).
Pic: Social Media
First Police Station in Delhi
The story dates back 162 years to 1861, when Delhi had just five police stations – Mehrauli, Sabzi Mandi, Kotwali, Sadar Bazar, and Nangloi. Cases, back then were registered over issues of robbery and cheating.
Listed below are a few cases that were registered between 1861 and till late 1900s.
- Theft of a pair of shoes, 11 oranges various fruits, Hukkah, and utensils.
- A man taking his goats from Mehrauli to Gurugram for grazing when a robber slapped him and took away his cattle.
- A person offering a lift to a pedestrian on his bicycle and then fleeing with his bundle of clothes.
- Theft of single white horses, and cattle.
Style of FIR
In the 1900s, FIR was usually registered in a basic handwritten note barely comprising a few lines regarding the crime details. Later, in the next century, FIRs were more detailed along with suspects’ sketches. Nowadays, it runs into several pages.
Pic: Social Media
The only thing constant during the years that have remained is the columns in which the content is divided, such as the time of the offence, distance of the crime scene from the police station, reason for the delay, etc. In most offences, court delivered justice within a day or two.
Judgement in the 1900s
Judges would use their discretion to order beating or issue a fine in petty cases for the accused. They awarded jail terms of up to two years for robbery, but often let convicts off by ordering them to be whipped with batons, or be fined up to five times the worth of the stolen items.
Today’s Celebration
To commemorate the occasion, a special blood donation camp was organized, A total of 162 cakes were cut to mark the day. Sports and cultural events were organized for residents of the Sabji Mandi area. Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj Kumar Meena congratulated the staff of the police station and told them to maintain and take forward its legacy.
The SHO said this police station is in an important location — near the historic Kashmiri Gate and Tis Hazari court. These areas have their own rich history as earlier it was a part of Delhi-6 which is also called a walled city. Now it comes under Delhi -7 after delimitations.
