DCRE police stations to function on government holidays

Police stations under the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) in Karnataka will henceforth remain open and function even on government holidays, similar to regular police stations.

The order was issued by the Director General of Police of the Civil Rights Enforcement Directorate following a representation by Mohan Kumar Danappa, a member of the Karnataka State Police Complaints Authority who had written to the State Police Chief seeking necessary action.

The DCRE police stations were established across the State as special police stations to handle cases related to caste-based abuse and atrocities against members of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). At present, 33 DCRE police stations are functioning in Karnataka.

However, victims and Dalit community leaders had complained, stating that these police stations remained closed on government holidays, leading to delays in lodging complaints. Victims approaching jurisdictional police stations on holidays were often asked to visit DCRE stations on the next working day, as such cases fall under their jurisdiction. This delay, activists argued, could lead to destruction of evidence, influence on witnesses, and hurdles in prompt investigation.

Taking note of these concerns, the Civil Rights Enforcement Directorate has now directed that DCRE police stations must function on government holidays as well.

Each DCRE station aims to improve the quality of an investigation, ensure timely filing of charge sheets, and address concerns about low conviction rates in SC/ST atrocity cases. Each station is headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank officer.

However, police sources have acknowledged that staff shortages, particularly at the DSP level, remain a key challenge in fully operationalising all 33 stations. The State government is expected to expedite postings and strengthen infrastructure in the coming months to ensure the specialised police stations function at full capacity.