Jaipur’s Oldest Police Station has FIR copies Dating back to 1920!

Jaipur's oldest police station.
Jaipur's oldest police station.

The mere mention of the police station conjures up gloomy images of frightening criminals locked behind bars, guarded by ancient, hardened cops, isn’t it? But things are not as they seem in typical Bollywood masala movies. The oldest police station at Jaipur doesn’t feature dark, dingy cells with monstrous offenders, lazy cops and a pile of important files dumped here and there. Contrary to what most people believe, the first police station of the pink city has hard-working cops clad in impeccable uniforms, who work in a prim and proper setting.

A stray look at the brightly-lit record room reveals rare legal documents, criminal records and FIR copies meticulously preserved in various file cabinets. To our surprise, some of these records date back to 1926, isn’t that shocking? For those who don’t know, we’re talking about Kishanpole Bazaar’s Kotwali police station that currently houses over 2,000 antique FIRs, complaints and police records tracing back to the pre-Independence era. Most of these prisoners offer us a brief insight into the socio-legal conditions prevailing during the British era.

Meet Bhim Raj, the Man who changed our Views about Indian Police!

One can easily find police records maintained in an orderly manner in the record room.
One can easily find police records maintained in an orderly manner in the record room.

A 40-year-old constable named Bhim Raj is credited for preserving these records in well-maintained conditions. When he took over this difficult job, he found the papers lumped together in red bundles. The files had accumulated so much dirt and dust over the years that the officers had to dry them under sun for 8 days. Thereafter, they get brushed off the dust and segregated each paper in chronological order. All the papers were bound in individual registers pertaining to different years. Since the entire building was in a poor condition, the officers had to revamp the entire record room to get rid of moisture and peeling paints.

It took Bhim Raj and his team about a year to maintain these papers. In this process, each one of them contracted some sort of illness. Nevertheless, they’re happy to have them sorted out. These papers are of great historical importance and reflect the legal conditions of Rajasthan. All files have been arranged in wooden cabinets, labelled with date & year on them. The officers raised funds from CLG members to revamp their police station.

Since Kotwali holds great historical value for the Rajasthan police, the officers will contact local archives experts to preserve antique documents for future study. Thus, with their collective efforts, anyone can sift through the files and use them for personal research within a matter of few minutes!

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