Hyderabad: Soon, victims of serious offences — including POCSO cases — in Telangana, will no longer need to go to a police station to register a complaint. Instead, cops will come to their doorstep, or their place of choice, to register a First Information Report (FIR). All that the complainant needs to do is dial 100 or 112 to avail of the service.This first-of-its-kind initiative in the country — to be launched in a week — was announced by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Monday. The objective: To save victims/survivors, especially women and children entangled in sensitive cases, from more trauma.As part of the new norm, police officials will not just register the initial complaint but also record the mandatory statements of victims/survivors at their doorstep under Sections 180 and 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Police will simultaneously take steps to secure the crime scene, preserve evidence, and proceed with further investigation.A copy of the FIR will be provided to the victim or informant at the same location.The residence-based FIR registration system will apply to offences affecting the human body, offences against property, and cases registered under special laws, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, and the Telangana Prohibition of Ragging Act. In all such cases, police officers receiving information over telephone or oral means will be required to immediately reach the victim and initiate on-site registration of FIR.“This is intended to prioritise the safety, dignity and convenience of victims, particularly those in vulnerable or traumatic situations. It will reduce the burden on the victims and avoid further trauma,” said Charu Sinha, additional director general of police, CID, adding that it would also strengthen public confidence in the criminal justice system. She said that the standard operating procedures for the implementation of the new system have been finalised and circulated to all unit officers and station house officers across the state.“Under the new procedure, the jurisdictional police officer, or any police officer in the case of a Zero FIR, will proceed to the victim’s residence, hospital, place of occurrence or any other location chosen by the complainant to receive the complaint and record the initial statement,” reiterated Sinha. Complaints received on-site will be forwarded to the police station concerned with the endorsement of the receiving officer for formal registration.
