Zero FIR: It’s hero in fame but zero in action

Hyderabad: It was a general practice in the past to make the complainant run pillar to post to register his FIR. However, after the famous Shamshabad case, the DGP Mahendra Reddy had introduced a zero FIR system where the complainant can lodge his FIR in any police station irrespective of the place of the incident.

According to the system, the police officials of any police station register the FIR and issue its copy to the complainant while transferring the case to the concerned police station for investigation and action.

After implementing the system effectively for some time, the police officials are now back to their old ways of cold-shouldering the complainants and dilly-dallying in registering their FIRs citing the reason that the incident has not taken place in their jurisdiction.

The latest case of such police attitude has taken place in Mahabubnagar District. The victims of a sensational rape case were trying to register their FIR in Mahabubnagar Town police station.  The police officials there declined to record their FIR citing the jurisdiction issue and advised them to approach the concerned police station.

The rape incident took place in Hyderabad’s Gandhi Hospital where the patient was accompanying his wife and sister-in-law. A hospital employee and some other people were accused of raping the patient’s wife and his sister-in-law.

On Monday, victims approached their native police station where they were advised to go to the concerned police station.  The victims finally registered their FIR in Chilkalguda police station and a copy of the FIR was released to them last night.

In another incident, the police took a driver to the accident spot and then told the complaint that the place does not fall into their jurisdiction.  The police advised the driver to go to Bachupally Police station. When the complainant went to Bachupally Police station the officer incharge did not register his FIR and told him to come on Sunday.

These two incidents amply demonstrate that there is a lukewarm response in implementing the zero FIR system by the police officials and they are back to their old ways in avoiding FIRs.