My article on Police Reforms which has appeared in Garhwal Post today. AAM AADMI POLICE: HOPE FROM AAP One understands that AAP has formed three committees to go into various important matters, and one of these is Police Reforms. Having come to the streets in an unprecedented method of registering protest, the AAP National Convener and Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal, has clearly indicated that the Police in Delhi is certainly an area which concerns him deeply. The various spokespersons of the party who were seen on the news-channels recently have also been expressing the Party’s dissatisfaction with the performance of Delhi Police. The public at large shares the perception that: 1. Delhi Police is insensitive and misbehaved. 2. Not trained sufficiently. 3. Lacks efficiency. 4. It is neck-deep in corruption. All the above are correct perceptions. The police in Delhi, as indeed in other parts of India, has the unfortunate legacy of the system which was established by an external power whose approach was anything but people-friendly. Over the years, the people’s expectations have changed and, to be honest, the police has failed to keep pace with these expectations. One can say that though the foreign ruler of India has exited, the desi governments have not made sincere efforts to bring about required changes. The ruler-ruled equation between the netas and citizens continues unchanged. We have the same VIP-versus-common man equation still determining how services will be provided in free, democratic India as well. It is quite unlikely that police attitudes will undergo significant changes without addressing the larger issue: that of correcting the feudal mindset which governs all our discourse. The training of the police officers is a neglected area. Successive governments have provided minimal resources for imparting training to various ranks of police hierarchy. Moreover, state governments usually choose inefficient officials to be posted to the training institutions. The National Police Academy in Hyderabad is one of the finest training institutions in the country. The selection of the Director is also based on merit, and the other trainers are usually of very high standard. The training of IPS officers is satisfactory. There is emphasis on human rights, behaviour, sensitivity and discipline, apart from a useful dose of the law of the land. Similar programmes are there in place for state police forces, but the implementation suffers due to inadequate resources and inefficient training faculties. The training of police officials needs to be geared to today’s requirements. There should be constant up-gradation of training curricula and methodology. Corruption needs to be addressed very seriously in all government departments. It is very visible in a uniformed government service like police. There is a mechanism in the police for taking action against corrupt officials. But there is need to pay more attention to this malaise and root it out. Police has the duty to fight crime, and corruption is a serious crime. Grievances of public must be given due importance and speedy action taken against the errant officials. There should be summary action against police officials whose activities are found to be aimed at illegally earning money by misusing their authority. The society faces new challenges every day from different quarters. The unfortunate political strategy of garnering votes by playing divisive politics is eating into the even tenor of the society. There is need for politicians to rise above vested political interests and work for better conditions which lead to different communities and casts living in amiable atmosphere. There is a crying need for tall politicians to arise and show to the nation the direction which needs to be taken to bring peace and prosperity to the country. Should AAP be in a position to play an effective role in the years to come, we hope that this new party will address all the above issues without being cramped by vested interests. We know that the parties which are in power and have so far been running the affairs of police, have failed to address the issue of police reforms with the seriousness that such an important matter demands. Let us hope that the new kid on the block does not forget that its encounters with the law-keeper of Delhi have not exactly been the most pleasant. The repeated reference to doing away with the so-called VIP culture will be the ideal platform on which the matter of addressing police reforms could be effectively built. Will it be too much to expect that the Aam Aadmi Party will give the citizen the aam aadmi police?
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 06:59:13 +0000
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