Nagaland Police will launch a single-window online complaint portal within the next 10 to 12 days, allowing residents to submit complaints, track their progress and access police inquiry reports, Director General of Police Rupin Sharma said.
Sharma announced the proposed system while addressing a state-level convergence meeting on violence against women and children in Kohima on Tuesday.
He said the portal would allow people to submit complaints to the police through a single online platform, irrespective of whether the matter was eventually found to involve a criminal offence or a civil dispute.
Under the proposed system, every complaint received through the portal will be assigned by the officer-in-charge of the concerned police station to an investigating officer for a preliminary inquiry.
Based on the inquiry, the investigating officer will determine whether the complaint involves a cognisable offence, a non-cognisable offence or a matter that is purely civil in nature.
If the inquiry establishes a cognisable offence, the police station will be required to register an FIR. In cases involving non-cognisable offences, complainants may be advised to approach a magistrate. Matters found to be purely civil disputes will remain outside the jurisdiction of the police.
Sharma said one of the key features of the system would be the ability of complainants to electronically track the status of their cases.
People will also be able to find out whether an FIR has been registered and, if not, the reason for the decision. As provided under the new criminal laws, complainants will also be able to download a copy of the police inquiry report.
“Your complaints will not go unanswered,” Sharma said.
The system will also allow senior police officers, from the police station level to the office of the DGP, to monitor the status and progress of complaints.
The DGP said the portal could be particularly useful in cases involving domestic violence, child abuse, stalking and harassment. He said repeated complaints could help the police identify patterns of abuse or criminal behaviour and intervene before such incidents become more serious.
Sharma also pointed to gaps between government mechanisms and their implementation on the ground. While several agencies have systems and procedures in place, he said many continue to face limitations in responding effectively because of inadequate capacity.
He urged victims and members of the public to report incidents, saying under-reporting makes it difficult for authorities to understand the actual scale of problems and plan the required response.
According to Sharma, proper reporting is also important for allocating resources such as manpower, safe homes, vehicles and helpline services.
He clarified that the police cannot intervene in matters that are purely civil in nature. However, he said the presence of a criminal element gives the police grounds to take action.
The DGP also cautioned NGOs, village councils, customary institutions and other civil society organisations against taking the law into their own hands, particularly in cases involving cognisable offences such as rape and stalking.
Meanwhile, Social Welfare Department Director Tosheli Zhimomi presented figures related to cases involving women and children in the state.
She said one-stop centres across Nagaland handled 311 cases of gender-based violence during the last financial year, while the Women Helpline received 144 cases.
The cases included domestic violence, cybercrime, sexual assault, missing cases and other situations involving women in distress.
Under Mission Vatsalya, Child Welfare Committees received 640 cases involving children in need of care and protection during 2025-26. Juvenile Justice Boards handled 56 cases involving children in conflict with the law, while 639 children were in child care institutions, Zhimomi said.
She added that Child Helpline 1098 received 2,632 cases between September 1, 2023 and March 25, 2026.
As part of initiatives under Mission Shakti and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, the Social Welfare Department plans to install sanitary napkin vending machines and grievance-redressal ‘SHE’ boxes in all registered schools across Nagaland in coordination with the state police.
Additional Secretary to the Nagaland government Olemjungla Aier said Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya could not work in isolation and called for greater participation and coordination among the police, district legal services authorities, NGOs and other stakeholders.
The state-level convergence meeting was organised by Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti under the Department of Social Welfare in collaboration with Nagaland Police and the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority.
The meeting brought together officials and frontline workers from all 17 districts to strengthen coordination and develop a more integrated response to cases of violence against women and children.
