Will filing online complaints improve accountability?

Most feel that the personnel must take their grievances seriously and give regular investigation updates.

Will instil discipline in the force
The new concept will make things hassle free. The police have a tendency of refusing to lodge an FIR. So after installation of such a system, police won’t have an option and will have to register FIRs. They will have to promptly follow up on FIRs. It will make the police more accountable and it may also reveal many other facts, which could have been concealed earlier.
—Alishya Carvalho

We must get online status reports
This is a good initiative by the state government. There will be two benefits for sure. The police department will be more accountable and secondly people’s complaints will be registered. But to make the system a success, the police must take prompt action. While launching such a system, there should be a stipulation that the police must solve the crime in a standard time frame.
—Aditya Bhide

Status of many cases still unsolved
The concept of electronic FIRs is good, but there are thousands of cases registered already, but the status of many remain unresolved. The police hardly give any satisfactory investigation updates. If the police don’t work for weaker sections, such steps are superficial. If they want to help the common man, then the police need to be reformed and made an independent entity. They must be insulated from politicians.
—Siddharth Kadam

Even their helplines don’t function
I’m not convinced with the government’s new initiative of lodging E-FIRs. The police hardly investigate cases which have been already registered. So, why will they take the virtual complaints seriously? When people go to a police station, the policemen don’t take them seriously. The website launched is to pull wool over the eyes of youngsters.
—Yogesh Deshpande

Cops must be trained by cyber experts
This is a good initiative since people can register their complaints. The authorities will be able to take action swiftly. While they may find it tough initially, the police can get training from cyber experts. There must be other means of registration, and revealing a person’s identity may deter people, in case they want to report something sensitive.
—Sanjeev Kumar

Compiled by Nitin Kumar