A police officer can detain a person who resists or disregards lawful directions to prevent a cognisable offence, according to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) which came into effect on Monday.
Also, the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which replaces the British-era Indian Penal Code, has made sexual offences “gender neutral” for the victim and the perpetrator, according to official documents.
The BNSS, which replaced the British-era Code of Criminal Procedure, has introduced “a new insertion” as Clause 172 in ‘Preventive Action of the Police’.
It states that people must conform to directions of the police issued in the course of preventing the commission of a cognizable offence, officials said.