How To Address A Complaint Letter

hello, my name is preeti and in this sessioni will talk about filing an fir. a first information report or an fir, as itis commonly known, is the first report to the police of any criminal offence that hasbeen committed. once the fir has been filed, the police canbegin the investigation of the offence. it is important to remember that an fir canonly be filed in cognizable cases. under the

How To Address A Complaint Letter, indian penal code, cognizable cases are thosewhich involve criminal offences like theft, robbery, murder, rape and violence againstwomen. under these cases the police may arrest without a warrant.if you want to report a criminal offence these are the steps you should take:• locate and visit the police station of

the jurisdiction where the criminal offencehas occurred. • once you are there, all relevant informationrelating to the offence should be given to the officer in charge. this can be done orallyor in writing. if it is done orally, the officer has to put it down in writing and read itback to you to confirm the details. • please remember, it is the duty of thepolice officer to register your fir and give you a copy of the written fir, free of cost.do not forget to take a copy of the fir! now, what to do if the police refuse to registeran fir? if the police refuse to register an fir, youcan make a complaint to the higher ranking officer, such as the superintendent of police(sp),deputy inspector general(dig) or the inspector

general(ig) of police. you can also forwardall the information you have on the offence committed to them. you could also make a complaintto your state human rights commission or the national human rights commission. if stillno action has been taken then you can make a private complaint to the area magistrate.once the police have registered an fir, they will take the following steps:• go to the scene of crime and collect evidence • conduct a search and seizure. for thisthe police must have a search warrant and two respectable witnesses of the locality.the occupant of the area which is being searched has a right to be present. whatever is seizedby the police should be documented in a list which is called the search and seizure listor the panchanama.

• collect statements from complainant orwitnesses. please remember: as per law the person making the statement is not requiredto sign it. no women, children or men below the age of 15 can be forced to go to the policestation to record these statements. the police have to record these statements at their residences.• all the information gathered by the police is documented in the police inner case diarywhich becomes part of the charge sheet and is filed before the magistrate.the next video will look at what happens during arrest, police custody and interrogation.stay tuned.