Emergency Numbers in India: 112, 101, 108 and Which Number to Call

Nobody wants to search for a phone number while a kitchen is filling with smoke or a relative has just collapsed. In that moment you need one number in your head and a few more saved in your phone. This guide lists the emergency numbers that work in India today, what each one is for, and where the service depends on your state. Every number here was checked against a government or official source in October 2026.

If you remember only one, make it 112. It is India’s single emergency number under the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), which the Ministry of Home Affairs runs with the states. The government says 112 brings police (100), fire (101), ambulance (108) and the Women Helpline (181) under one number. Your call goes to an emergency response centre in your state, which sends the police, the fire brigade or medical help.

Emergency numbers in India: the quick list

Older numbers such as 100 and 101 are still printed on police vans, fire tenders and society notice boards, and people still search for them. They are part of the same system now. If one number does not connect, try 112, and the other way round.

Which number to call, and when

• Fire or smoke: get everyone out first, then call 112 or 101. Give the building name, floor and a landmark.
• Smell of LPG, no fire: do not switch lights or appliances on or off, open doors and windows, turn off the regulator if you can reach it safely, go outside and call 1906. If it has caught fire, call 112 or 101.
• Road crash: call 112 or 108. On a tolled national highway you can also call NHAI’s 1033, which can send an ambulance, a patrol vehicle or a crane. Our guide on how to help safely at a road crash covers what to do while you wait.
• Medical emergency at home: 108, or 112. For a pregnant woman or a child who needs transport under the government’s Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), there is 102, which runs in 35 states and UTs.
• Crime, violence or a threat to you: 112. A woman in distress can also call 181, the Women Helpline. For a child in danger, call 1098 or 112.
• Money gone in an online fraud: call 1930 at once and also report at cybercrime.gov.in. The quicker you report, the better the chance the money can be stopped. If a caller is claiming you are under “digital arrest”, read how to stop, verify and protect your money.
• On a train: 139 (Rail Madad) for security or medical help.
• Someone is in emotional crisis: Tele-MANAS on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416, free and confidential. If a life is in immediate danger, call 112.
• Flood, cyclone, landslide or other disaster: 112 if life is at risk. The state control room (1070 in many states) and district control room (1077 in many districts) handle disaster information and complaints.
• Power failure or a fault on the supply line: 1912 in many states. A snapped live wire on the road is a danger to life, so keep people away and call 112.

What to say when you call

Say where you are first, because the operator cannot send anyone without it. Then say what has happened, how many people are hurt or trapped, and give a number they can call back on. Answer the questions and stay on the line until the operator says you can hang up. Our step-by-step guide on what to say on the call has a short script you can practise at home, and you can write your address and landmarks on a 112 call information card and keep it by the door.

No SIM, no balance or no network?

Many people believe any phone can call 112 without a SIM card or balance. We could not find an Indian rule or official notice that guarantees this, so please do not count on it. Keep at least one phone in the family with an active SIM, keep it charged, and if your own phone will not connect, borrow any phone nearby, or ask a shopkeeper, security guard or toll plaza staff to call. The 112 system also accepts SMS, email and the 112 India app, according to the Home Ministry, so if a call does not go through, try another channel.

Share your location

• Do not assume the operator can see where you are. Say it clearly: house or building number, street, area, city and one landmark an outsider would know.
• On a highway, read out the nearest kilometre stone, the last town or toll plaza you passed and the direction you were travelling.
• The 112 India app sends an alert with your location to the emergency response centre, and the government says it is meant for exactly this. Set it up before you need it.
• Share your live location with a family member on a long or late journey, so someone knows where to send help.

SOS on your phone

Since 2017, phones sold in India have had to carry a panic button under the Department of Telecommunications rules. On a smartphone, pressing the power button three times quickly triggers a call to 112. On a basic feature phone, a long press of the 5 or 9 key does the same. Phone makers set this up in different ways, so open your phone’s emergency or SOS settings once and see how it works on your handset. Do not press it just to test it; that sends a real alert.

The official 112 India app is published by C-DAC on Google Play and the App Store. It can send an SOS alert with your location and place a call to 112. For women and children it has a SHOUT feature that alerts registered volunteers nearby as well as the emergency centre. The app works in the states that have joined it, so check that your state is listed.

The team behind HowToSurvive.in also builds Bharat101, an independent safety app (not a government service) with a hold-to-send SOS that shares your live location with your emergency contacts, plus a list of nearby fire stations, hospitals and police stations. It is available on Google Play. In an emergency, always call 112 or 101 first.

Travelling or on a highway

• Save 112, 108, 1033 and 139 in your phone before a long trip, and keep a written copy in the car or your bag in case the phone dies.
• The 1033 number is also printed on NHAI FASTags, so check yours. It works on NHAI’s tolled stretches; on other roads, call 112.
• Numbers such as 1070, 1077, 1912 and 104 differ from state to state. If you are travelling to another state during the monsoon or cyclone season, look up its disaster control room number on the state disaster management authority’s website.
• After a breakdown, get everyone out of the vehicle and behind the crash barrier before you call.

Do this today

• Save 112, 108, 101, 1930 and 1906 in every family member’s phone.
• Teach children to call 112 and say their address in one sentence.
• Write your full address, a landmark and the numbers on a card near the door, and add them to your family emergency plan.
• Look up your own state’s numbers for the disaster control room, the electricity company and the health helpline, and save them too.
• Find the SOS setting on your phone and install the 112 India app.