Can Arvind Kejriwal influence the mindset of the Delhi police?

Arvind Kejriwal is the flavour of the month. If I place my feet in his shoes what should I be thinking? How will Arvind fulfil the various promises he has made to the people of Delhi who pine for a better quality of life? They want cheaper water and electricity but, more importantly, they want to go about their business without the fear of being mugged and the women being molested or raped. And they want to be free of the ubiquitous government “servant” who refuses to sanction what is legally theirs, unless his palms are greased!
 
The free water and cheap electricity promise is going to be a tricky one to manoeuvre but the promise of security of life and property is going to be even more difficult to meet. This, for the simple reason that the law and order machinery is squarely under the Central government and the state government, which means Arvind Kejriwal, has no legal control over the Delhi police.
 
As matters stand, the Narendra Modi administration will not want to transfer its suzerainty over the Delhi police to Kejriwal. The power of transfer, promotion, punishment is a power that every government, be it Congress, BJP, Left parties and regional parties have used or misused for partisan purposes. The misuse has led to runaway corruption as subordinate police officers routinely wangle “lucrative” postings which become even more “lucrative” (and consequently more lawless) with the police chief’s loss of control over the deployment and the discipline of his own men.
 
There are other more valid reasons for the Centre to hesitate to agree to transfer control to the Delhi administration. It does not appear that the statehood question will be resolved in the near future with the result that Arvind will have to rely on his moral authority to nudge the Delhi police to behave democratically with the people and to enforce the laws of the land. AAP secured a massive mandate never recorded earlier in any election in this country. Arvind should shrewdly utilize this factor to force the hands of the Union Home Minister, the LG of Delhi and the Police Commissioner to change police attitudes.
 
When I say the police should be made “people friendly” it does not mean that citizens should be allowed to do as they wish. On the contrary, there should be zero tolerance to even minor offences like traffic violations in order to send the required message to one and all. Arvind should condition the minds of all city dwellers through his own cadres that the best way of reforming a discredited police force is to start by not breaking laws themselves. He has earned the moral authority to preach wisdom which he should now fully utilize.
 
Having done that he must pressurise the police leadership to galvanise their men into action. At present, the capital’s police force is known to be most indifferent to people’s worries and complaints. It is widely rumoured that in Delhi, police officers do not react to complaints even of cognizable crime unless they are first paid! It is this supreme indifference of Delhi’s policeman to enforcement of laws that needs to be addressed on a war footing. Only Arvind with his massive mandate can bring the force of moral authority to change this mindset. He represents the great majority of Delhi’s citizens and the police cannot afford to ignore his voice, specially when it cries out for justice.
 
But while doing so he should avoid the pitfalls of misplaced populism which might be very tempting at times. Many an AAP supporter would expect the party to extricate him or her from the rigours of the law when he or she has transgressed its limits. If Arvind or his henchmen succumb to such misdirected demands they will be following the path of the traditional political formations, thereby condemning Delhi society to an unchanged existence.
 
I know Arvind Kejriwal only slightly. A decade ago, when he was still an Income Tax officer he visited our PCGT (Public Concern for Governance Trust) office in Mumbai and gave us a video presentation of the work he was doing in Delhi through his NGO Parivartan. The Trustees of PCGT, including its then Chairman BG Deshmukh, a former Cabinet Secretary, were really impressed with his sincerity and commitment to a more just social order. I believe that Arvind will be sensible enough not to make the mistake of excessive populism to retain his following.
 
AAP’s foot soldiers at the mohalla level should be organised and briefed to befriend the beat policemen and co-operate with them in maintaining peace, solving local disputes and ensuring cleanliness of the localities and generally governing themselves. This will herald a new era of community policing that police leaders always talk about but rarely succeed in introducing. Respect for women, their safety in public places and while availing of public transport, will be natural corollaries to a paradigm shift in urban policing that emanates from a citizen’s initiative.
 
What about recalcitrant policemen who are reluctant to forego their present access to illegal wealth creation? They are very likely to be those who have approached politicians for their postings. I have the feeling that Arvind will not hesitate to shame them somehow by openly naming them, for instance, and forcing the police leadership to discipline them. In AAP’s first stint at governance, corruption had magically reduced through the fear of mass action. In a five-year stint it will require more than people’s disapproval to reform the police mindset. Lest they revert to type, constant vigilance and intervention by mohalla representatives would be needed.

I do hope Arvind succeeds. This country deserves a different type of politics that is inclusive and that does not encourage corruption.