Police stations under the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) in Karnataka will continue to remain open and function even on public holidays, similar to regular police stations.
The order was issued by the director general of police, Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement, following the representation of Mohan Kumar Danappa, member of the Karnataka State Police Grievance Bureau, who wrote to the state police chief for necessary action.
DCRE police stations have been set up across the state as special police stations to deal with cases related to caste abuse and atrocities against members of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). There are currently 33 DCRE police stations functioning in Karnataka.
However, victims and Dalit community leaders complained and said these police stations remained closed on public holidays, leading to delays in filing complaints. Victims who approached the jurisdiction’s police stations during the holidays were often asked to visit the DCRE stations on the following working day as such cases fall under their jurisdiction. That delay, activists argued, could lead to the destruction of evidence, influence witnesses and hinder a speedy investigation.
In view of these concerns, the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement has now ordered that DCRE police stations must also function on public holidays.
Each DCRE station aims to improve the quality of investigations, ensure timely filing of chargesheets and address concerns of low conviction rate in SC/ST atrocity cases. Each station is headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
However, police sources admitted that shortage of staff, especially at the DSP level, remains a key issue in making all 33 stations fully operational. The state government is expected to speed up deployment and strengthen infrastructure in the coming months to ensure that the dedicated police stations operate at full capacity.
Published – March 8, 2026 6:36 PM IST
