West Bengal has launched the 112 emergency response service, replacing the existing Dial 100 number and adding dedicated vehicles, motorcycles and personnel to improve police response across the state. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari inaugurated the service at the Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday, according to Anandabazar – West Bengal.
The 112 service is a Union Ministry of Home Affairs project that operates across the country, but West Bengal had not previously introduced it, the report said. Residents will now be required to call 112 for emergency or urgent assistance instead of 100.
As part of the launch, one vehicle and one motorcycle were provided to each of the state’s 450 police stations. The Chief Minister said every police station would receive three more vehicles and motorcycles within the next year. The deployment is intended to help police reach locations more quickly during emergency situations.
The state will also create a 20-member team at every police station specifically for emergency response. Each team will include five women police personnel, according to the announcement. The structure is expected to provide a dedicated local force for handling urgent calls rather than relying only on the general station-level police establishment.
Adhikari said the existing Dial 100 emergency service was effectively non-functional. The transition to 112 therefore involves more than a change in the public helpline number: it is also being accompanied by a state-wide allocation of vehicles, motorcycles and designated staff. The report did not provide details of the technology platform, call-centre capacity, response-time standards or the mechanism through which calls will be tracked and assessed.
The launch places emergency response capacity at the centre of a broader discussion on police infrastructure in West Bengal. The Chief Minister alleged that the police force had not received adequate infrastructure development during the previous administration and that the skills of police personnel had not been fully used. He also praised the state police, saying its capabilities were not inferior to those of central agencies such as the National Investigation Agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.
During the programme, Adhikari referred to the investigation into alleged stone-mining activity involving Tulu Mondal in Birbhum and praised the district’s superintendent of police. He said the investigation had not required assistance from the Special Task Force. He also told the police force that political intervention would not be tolerated in cases involving narcotics, the sale of intoxicating substances, child marriage or offences against women.
The Chief Minister further promised action against beneficiaries of institutional corruption without considering political affiliation or religion. He said recruitment-related complications would be resolved and that more than 11,000 constables would join the West Bengal Police before the Durga Puja period. The immediate operational test for the new 112 system will be whether the expanded fleet and dedicated teams translate into reliable call handling and faster police arrival across the state.
