Guj Govt to set up a dedicated helpline for reporting police misconduct

Ahmedabad: After facing criticism from the Gujarat high court for its initial reluctance to establish a dedicated helpline enabling citizens to report police misconduct, the state government finally assured the court on Friday that it would introduce a specific phone number for this purpose. Additionally, they committed to setting up a separate control room to address complaints related to police behavior.

The high court had been advocating for a dedicated helpline, a recommendation put forth by the amicus curiae, as part of a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) following an incident where police and TRB jawans were accused of extorting Rs 60,000 from a family near the Ognaj toll plaza.

During the court hearing, the government was reminded of another case involving extortion by policemen, where an individual from outside the state visiting Gujarat for the cricket world cup final was reportedly targeted with demands for money in exchange for a liquor bottle.

Last month, the high court criticized the state government for its initial reluctance to establish a separate helpline, explicitly advising against “camouflaging” the helpline number. In response, the government presented several options, including the extension of the existing 100 helpline. However, Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee insisted on a dedicated helpline specifically for registering complaints against policemen and TRB jawans. The court emphasized the need for a distinct number, separate from existing helplines (100, 112, and 1064), which are used for seeking police assistance or reporting corrupt government officials.