The Birbhum district police in West Bengal have developed a custom AI-powered Android application named Samarth to enhance the efficiency and legal accuracy of daily police work. The tool is expected to be a significant leap in modern policing, positioning Birbhum at the forefront of technology adoption in Indian law enforcement.
The application, conceptualised by Birbhum Superintendent of Police Amandeep and SDPO Bolpur Rickey Agarwal, is designed to function as an indispensable digital assistant for investigating officers (IOs), officers-in-charge (ICs/OCs), and senior officials across ranks.
Speaking to The Indian Express, SP Amandeep said, “A lot of our officers don’t know the Acts and laws thoroughly, and it’s not always possible for someone to remember everything. So we have made an AI app. Samarth is fuelled by a robust in-house AI model trained on a massive and comprehensive dataset, including core legal texts: the recently introduced BNS, BNSS and BSA, along with many minor Acts commonly invoked in field cases.”
Investigation SOPs, manuals, and guidelines from national and state-level bodies are part of the app’s reference material. It also summarises Supreme Court and High Court judgments to simplify complex legal positions, as well as police orders, circulars, and other relevant documents.
The primary goal of Samarth is to ensure that every investigation is “scientific, lawful, and legally bound.” The app functions as an instant, interactive chat assistant, offering immediate and authoritative guidance — a crucial resource in a system where, as officers note, cases must ultimately be built so they stand scrutiny in court.
An officer facing a new case can describe the incident in natural language — even in Bengali or Hindi — and the app provides a detailed, step-by-step response, including clarifications on legal provisions and applicable sections for registering an FIR, mandatory compliances, guidance on procedures, and references to similar court rulings.
“If anyone comes with any kind of complaint and the person taking the complaint is clueless about what to do next… this app will guide them,” SP Amandeep added. The app’s ability to instantly suggest applicable legal sections is expected to be a game-changer for officers unclear about complex requirements.
Samarth is strictly for internal use and is not available on the public Play Store. Access has been rolled out across ranks, from Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) to Additional SPs.
The development team worked for several weeks, first testing the tool with senior officials and incorporating feedback before wider deployment. The phased rollout — completed recently with ASIs receiving access — is aimed at ensuring reliability.
While officials acknowledge that measurable outcomes, such as improved conviction rates, will take time, they say the immediate impact is evident: Samarth is saving time and reducing dependence on scattered or outdated resources.