Tough action only way to tackle police apathy, say ex-cops

It's common for a police station to send victims away and not register a crime that is out of its jurisdiction, though they are supposed to file a 'zero FIR' in such cases, said retired police officers. Mohamed Thaver reports.

It's common for a police station to send victims away and not register a crime that is out of its jurisdiction, though they are supposed to file a 'zero FIR' in such cases, said retired police officers, referring to the treatment meted out to 19-year-old Gazala Shaikh, who had to go to three stations before her complaint against the abusive bus conductor was finally registered.

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As per the police manual, a police station that a victim first approaches must take cognisance of a complaint, irrespective of jurisdiction. In such cases, the police are required to register a 'zero FIR', take steps that are urgently required and then transfer the case to the relevant police station, which would further investigate the matter.

YP Singh, former IPS officer-turned-lawyer, said: there are two main reasons for a zero FIR: it makes the process more convenient for the complainant; and the investigation is not hampered because of a time gap between the incident and a formal FIR being registered.

"But the police are very reluctant to file a zero FIR and try pushing the work to other police stations," Singh said.

Sometimes, the police are reluctant to even registering a crime in their jurisdiction and prefer to hush up the matter, the former police chief said.

Ambadas Pote, Mumbai police spokesperson and deputy commissioner of police, said: "We have given standing instructions to police stations to register complaints without getting into jurisdictional fights." What can a victim do if a police station refuses to file an FIR?

Pote said: "They can call the zonal deputy commissioner, whose landline number is present at the police station and let him know that the police station is refusing to file an FIR."