Instructing the officials to uphold legal and constitutional norms in delivering justice to the public, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday emphasized the need for enhancing the efficacy of Police Complaint Authority, ensuring swift resolution of complaints, and fostering improved coordination with law enforcement agencies.
Haryana Police Complaint Authority convened a national conference with the aim of standardizing the operations of Police Complaint Authorities across States. These authorities are tasked with addressing public grievances regarding police conduct and functioning. This conference, a first of its kind in the nation, facilitated in-depth discussions on various pertinent issues.
Speaking as the chief guest during the conference, the Chief Minister said that the present government, upon assuming office, has made significant efforts to strengthen the mandate of the State Police Complaint Authority. “Our goal was to pursue a fair path in addressing public grievances.”
He said that upon assuming office, there were complaints regarding non-registration of FIRs. In response, directives were issued to ensure that FIRs should be registered for every individual visiting police station. Furthermore, to alleviate concerns regarding police jurisdiction, instructions were issued to implement zero FIR registration, effectively streamlining the process.
Khattar said that after assuming office in 2014, his aim from the very first day was to curb corruption in the state. For this he has taken many effective steps to ensure transparency into the governance. Regarding police reforms, the Chief Minister highlighted the establishment of the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau to strengthen law enforcement capabilities, particularly in addressing financial irregularities such as tax evasion, electricity theft, mining theft, and illegal canal water usage. In addition, current government has established 33 women police stations and has also increased the female representation in the police force. To deal with cyber crime, separate cyber police stations have also been created and cyber desks have been established in every police station.
He said that the State Police Complaint Authority was established to address grievances related to police misconduct. Over the course of its operation, approximately 2000 complaints have been lodged with the Haryana Police Complaint Authority. Based on the authority's recommendations, the government has taken decisive actions against the implicated police officers and staff, including suspensions and fines. Consequently, there has been a notable increase in public confidence in the authority's efficacy, affirming their belief that their complaints are being earnestly addressed.
He remarked that organizing such a conference is a commendable decision, facilitating the exchange of best practices among all states. Expressing gratitude to the keynote speaker of the conference, Prakash Singh, DGP (Retd.), he said that the retired officer has consistently emphasized the need for police reforms and has tirelessly worked towards that goal.
In his keynote address, Prakash Singh, one of the well known architects of police reforms outlined the genesis of the State Police Complaint Authorities and highlighted the need for having strong and effective Authorities to provide relief to the citizens and to check the misuse of powers by the Police. Tracing the history of the police reforms, he elaborated the various issues faced by the police and the efforts that have been made to give it operational autonomy.