West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who on Thursday (July 2, 2026) inaugurated several modernisation initiatives of the police, urged not to hide any crime figures and submit factual records to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“Do not hide any crime figures, and if there is any complaint, register FIR and take necessary action. Whatever details are sought by the Home Ministry relating to crime against women and children in terms of data, do not reduce it even by a single number,” the Chief Minister said addressing a press conference at the State Secretariat.
The remarks by the Chief Minister assume significance as there have been allegations of furnishing false data related to crime to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) during the Trinamool Congress regime. Kolkata was recorded as the safest city as per NCRB figures over the past several years, during which incidents of violence against women continued to be reported in the city and the remaining State.
“Unless we know what ails us, we cannot do any treatment. If we try to suppress the ailment, one day it will emerge as something big and we will not be able to tackle it,” Mr. Adhikari said.
During the day, the Chief Minister inaugurated a dedicated help desk for women across all police stations in the State. These help desks will be operational round the clock in the police stations trained women police personnel will be deployed where women can air their grievances.
Mr. Adhikari also inaugurated a cyber crime help desk at every police station that will deal with cases of cyber fraud. The Chief Minister said while safety and security of women remains the priority of his government the cases of cyber fraud are spreading like a pandemic.
“One of the primary goals of our government is to ensure women’s security. Given the bitter experience of the Nirbhaya case and the Abhaya (RG Kar hospital rape-murder) incident in Kolkata, we have adopted a zero tolerance policy towards crime against women,” he said.
Mr. Adhikari expressed hope that senior officials of the State at the Director General of Police (DGP) and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) level will train the cyber help desk personnel, as this is a very complex subject, something that requires training and cannot be tackled by general knowledge.
He added that the cybercrime wing of the police will be headed by an Inspector General-level officer who will oversee the cybercrime help desks and assured that the State government will provide infrastructure, communication equipment and manpower in this regard.
The Chief Minister, also lauded the passing of The West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026 and said it will provide a conducive atmosphere for the police to work.
Mr. Adhikari pointed out that his government will appoint 20,000 police personnel who will be recruited in the State’s police force, including 4,000 in Kolkata Police, by September this year. The Chief Minister also added that he will introduce a police helpline -112 in the State by Durga Puja in October.
Published – July 03, 2026 11:25 am IST
