Complaints from citizens flood city police’s social media handles

Prayagraj: Amidst lockdown, it seems the Twitter and Facebook account of police has turned public redressal tool for the residents of the denizens of sangam city as in the past two-and a-half month, around 4000 people have interacted and lodged their complaints with senior police officials through social networking accounts of the district police.
From lodging of FIRs to seeking blood for a needy patient, the police claimed to have solved grievances of the complainants.
It is a starling fact that the number of followers of the city’s police and the SSP’s twitter’s accounts has increased manifold as police have secured 40th rank in the country on twitter.
SSP, Prayagraj, Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj told TOI that over the past two months, the district police have transformed its Twitter handles from a public relations platform to a public grievance redressal tool during phases of the lockdown. Police have been able to increase public involvement through district police’s social media accounts and delivering speedy justice in a transparent manner by making it easier for people to register FIRs, for instance, he added.
He said with technological advancements, people especially the elite class feel better to get their complaints noticed before senior police officials, and the cops in turn are making their best possible efforts to strengthen its relationship with the residents by providing fast, efficient and real-time public service.
The people who are trapped in other cities across the country and want to help their aged parents and family members during the lockdown period have district police Twitter account as the best medium to reach out to police officials and get their woes solved.
For instance, Atul Pandey, who got trapped in Noida and could not be able to come due to the lockdown, had sought help from the district police to deliver medicines to his parents living in the Civil Lines. He tweeted his request to the district police twitter handle and the police arrived at Pandey’s house and delivered the medicines.
Ankita, a student, who was frustrated over her neighbour’s love for loud music too found the solution after she tweeted to the SSP’s twitter handle.
The SSP said “We have been replying to every complainant through same medium and the cases which are serious are referred to the thana concerned to get the FIRs lodged and ensure arrest of law breakers’. “ Every complaint is being recorded and the applicant is informed about the progress report” said a senior cop adding “We have also been receiving and verifying inputs being given by people against law breakers or those violating the lockdown norms through Twitter sewa”.