Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

Emergency Helpline 100 and 112 Temporarily Down: Alternative Police Helpline Numbers Released   By Debkumar Bhadra   Most of us, have grown up with one number to call in crisis. Whether it was 100 or recently, 112, the reflex was the same — dial that number, help will come. It did not matter whether you were in a crowded Mumbai street or in a quiet lane in Sri Vijaya Puram, the emergency helpline number was the same. That assumption was quietly shaken here in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on June 14, 2026, when the A&N Police through a social media post in X (formerly twitter) issued a public advisory informing residents that both emergency helpline numbers 100 and 112 are presently not functioning due to what they described as "unforeseen technical snags."  Many of you have probably already seen it. Many may have seen it, scrolled past it. By evening, other forwards push it down. By next week, it is gone. And when one actually need that number, you are scrolling ...