Kolkata: In a significant move to enhance transparency and accountability, Kolkata Police (KP) — under instructions from the Union home ministry — implemented a new system that will notify complainants about the filing of the FIRs. Under the new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), investigating officers must also regularly update the complainant on the progress of their case, said an officer at Lalbazar.
Under this system, after a complaint is filed and a case is registered, the complainant will receive an automatic message containing crucial details such as the case number, the date it was filed and updates on the investigation's progress. The investigating officer will also be sent the same information on their mobile phone.
"This is a new feature that has been added to the existing Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project, which was initiated in 2009. A few police stations started implementing it post-Durga Puja, and the rest will get covered soon. The notification is sent through the central server. One must remember that the case number generated here is not the actual case number recorded at the police station. Hence, it is still important to collect a hard copy of the FIR once the intimation arrives," said an OC of a police station.
According to senior officers, even after submitting a complaint to the police station, there are often allegations that the police have not registered the case or turned it into a GD. Sometimes, even if the case is registered, the complainant is not informed.
"To address this issue, from now on, once a complaint is lodged with the police and a case is registered, a direct message will be sent to the complainant. The message will include the date the case was registered. Additionally, if there is any progress in the investigation, the complainant will be informed via a message. At the same time, a detailed message will also be sent to the officer's mobile," said a Joint CP.
Lalbazar has informed that the CCTNS now requires each FIR detail to be uploaded by the stations. It is this same information, processed centrally, that reaches the complainant. For this purpose, it has been made mandatory to collect the complainant's mobile number and email at the time of submitting the complaint.
In addition to the complainant, the investigating officer will also get an update on the probe. This is doubly important when an IO of a case gets changed due to multiple reasons. For example, if any documents or items related to the case have already been sent for forensic examination, that information will also be included in the message. This means that investigating officers will not need to repeatedly inquire for updates. The forensic units too will update once they prepare a report.