A cell to lodge complaints against police officers was inaugurated at Lalbazar on Monday afternoon.

“The launch of the wing is part of our effort to reach out to Calcuttans. Each complaint will be investigated and the complainant will be informed about the progress of the investigation,” said police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti after inaugurating the cell.

The grievance cell is located on the third-floor of the main building, which houses the offices of Chakrabarti and other senior police officers.

“Additional commissioner (I) Subrata Narayan Sarkar, who has also been appointed the chief vigilance officer of Calcutta police, will supervise the functioning of the cell,” added Chakrabarti.

Complaints will have to be addressed to the officer-in-charge of the public grievance cell. They should mention the date on which the police station concerned was contacted and the action taken by it.

Chakrabarti said people should approach the police station concerned before filing a complaint with the cell.

A registration number will be issued within seven days of receipt of a complaint by the cell. The number needs to be quoted during subsequent communication with the cell.

According to Chakrabarti, those who do not want to disclose their identity should file a complaint with Sarkar or him. “We will judge the gravity of the complaint and forward it to the cell, if necessary.”

The cell will not entertain complaints related to civil matters, including landlord-tenant disputes and outstanding debt.

Complaints can be filed by sending an email to grievance@kolkatapolice. org, calling 22525134/5340, sending a fax to 22145512 or handing over the grievance letter at the central receiving section on the ground floor of the police headquarters.