North India Statesman
News India Live, Digital Desk: Now in the police stations of Bihar, the victim will not be turned away saying that “this is not a matter of our area.” Director General of Police (DGP) of Bihar Vinay Kumar Regarding ‘zero FIR’ zero tolerance Adopting the policy, a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been issued. The purpose of this order issued under Section 173 of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS) is to initiate legal action without wasting time as soon as information about the crime is received. The DGP has made it clear that strict departmental action will be taken against the police officers who show any negligence in registering zero FIR.
What is ‘Zero FIR’ and new order of DGP?
When a crime occurs outside the geographical jurisdiction of a police station, but the victim reports it in any nearby police station, it is mandatory to register it as ‘Zero FIR’.
Verbal or digital: Now the complainant can also give information orally or through digital medium. The police officer will transcribe the verbal information and take signatures on it.
3 days grace period: If the information is given through electronic means, the informant will have to go to the police station within 3 days and sign the application.
Free copy: After the FIR is registered, a copy of it will be given to the complainant immediately and free of cost.
‘Nodal Unit’ for monitoring and strict monitoring
To make this system transparent and effective, the Police Headquarters has made strict arrangements:
SCRB becomes nodal unit: The State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) will monitor the database of zero FIRs.
Register Maintenance: Every police station will have two separate forms – one for zero FIR lodged in its own police station and the other for FIRs received from other police stations.
SP will review: Its record will remain from the police station to the SP office. In the first half of every month, the SP will review these cases whether the FIR was transferred to the concerned police station on time or not.
Female Police Officer: If the information is given by a woman, it will be recorded by a woman police officer only (as per the sections of BNSS).
Why was this needed?
It was often seen that in cases of serious crimes (like robbery, accident or molestation), the police got embroiled in ‘jurisdiction’ disputes, which gave the culprit an opportunity to escape and the evidence got destroyed. Now from the new SOP CCTNS With the help of (Crime and Criminal Tracking Networking System), Zero FIR can be immediately sent to the police station of the concerned district or state.
