By Amrit Pal Singh Sidhu
Bathinda, September 26, 2026
In a significant move aimed at bringing policing closer to the people, the Bathinda Police has launched a series of ‘Samadhan Camps’ to address long-pending public grievances and complaints pending at police stations across the district.
The initiative, launched under the directions of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bathinda Sohail Mir, seeks to provide citizens with a direct platform to raise their concerns before senior police officers and obtain timely action on matters that have remained unresolved.
The move has received an encouraging response from residents, with a large number of citizens turning up at the camps to place their grievances before the police authorities.
Senior officers asked to intervene in pending matters
Following the directions of the SSP, Sub-Divisional Police Officers and Deputy Superintendents of Police have been entrusted with organising the Samadhan Camps in their respective areas. The camps are intended to ensure that complaints do not remain confined to routine proceedings at police stations and that issues requiring intervention at the supervisory level are examined promptly.
During the camps, grievances are being heard by Gazetted Officers, Station House Officers and Unit Incharges, who are examining complaints on the spot and initiating necessary action according to the nature of each case.
The initiative assumes significance as citizens often approach senior police officials when their complaints remain pending or when they feel that their concerns have not received adequate attention at the local level.
Focus on disposal rather than mere hearing
The underlying objective of the Samadhan Camps is not merely to hear complaints but to ensure that pending grievances receive focused attention and are taken to their logical conclusion.
Police officials are examining the facts and circumstances of individual complaints and taking action wherever required. Cases involving different police units and police stations are being brought under the direct scrutiny of senior officers, thereby creating an additional mechanism for monitoring the disposal of public grievances.
The initiative is also expected to help senior police officers identify recurring problems at the grassroots level and assess the functioning of police stations from the perspective of public service delivery.
A direct bridge between police and public
The camps are being viewed as an effort to strengthen communication between the police and citizens. Instead of residents having to repeatedly visit different offices in pursuit of their complaints, the Samadhan Camps provide them an opportunity to place their concerns before senior officers in a structured manner.
Residents who have participated in the camps have expressed appreciation for the initiative, particularly for bringing senior police officials directly into the grievance-redressal process.
For many complainants, the opportunity to meet supervisory officers and explain their cases personally has provided a renewed sense of confidence that their grievances are being examined at the appropriate level.
Accountability at the field level
The initiative also places greater responsibility on police officers dealing with public complaints. With Gazetted Officers, SHOs and Unit Incharges participating in the camps, the process provides an additional layer of supervision over the handling of grievances.
Officials are expected to examine complaints objectively, take action in accordance with law and keep the concerned persons informed about the progress of their cases.
Such direct interaction can also help identify complaints that require coordination between different police units or intervention by senior authorities.
‘Samadhan’ camps emerge as citizen-centric policing initiative
The Bathinda Police initiative comes against the backdrop of increasing expectations from citizens for a police system that is accessible, responsive and accountable.
The Samadhan Camps represent an attempt to shift the focus from conventional complaint handling towards more direct and structured grievance redressal. By taking the process closer to the public and involving senior officers, the initiative seeks to make the police grievance mechanism more responsive.
The response from citizens will remain crucial to determining the longer-term impact of the camps. Effective follow-up, timely disposal of complaints and transparency in action will be key to ensuring that the initiative produces sustained results rather than remaining a one-time exercise.
Hope for faster resolution of long-pending complaints
With the camps continuing across different parts of the district, expectations are high among residents who have been pursuing unresolved matters for extended periods.
The initiative has sent a clear message that public grievances are being placed higher on the policing agenda in Bathinda. If the mechanism is sustained with regular monitoring and timely follow-up, it could provide an important additional channel for citizens seeking police intervention.
For the people of Bathinda, the real measure of the Samadhan Camps will ultimately be the number of grievances resolved, the speed of action taken and the confidence generated among citizens.