Cops need courage of Tukaram Ombale

One of the most heartening stories to emerge in recent times involves the Mumbai police.

That might sound not only remarkable, but also impossible. Citizens normally associate the police with apathy if not downright crookedness. The capture of Pakistani terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, represents a rarity. That incident exemplified startling heroism and touching selflessness of a humble cop, armed only with a lathi. In time, the lathi and khakhi reverted to being the symbols of venality, cruelty and general ineptitude. In other words, things became normal.

Then came the news of the rescue of Karnik Shah, a five-year-old from Kandivli who was kidnapped and taken all the way to Allahabad. To rescue the boy, the Mumbai police teamed up with the anti-terror squad of Varanasi. The ATS and a special crime branch team from Mumbai worked out that the boy was being held in Sajaula village under the Handia police station area. The operation was efficient and swift. Its end was commemorated by the presentation of a bar of chocolate — an emotional Mumbai police commissioner, Arup Patnaik, gifted that to Karnik when he was reunited with his parents.

Just a day after Karnik was rescued, the Mumbai police registered another dramatic win against kidnapping gangs. A three-and-a-half-year-old boy, Sufiyan Khan, was freed from the clutches of his abductors in Silvassa. 

The little Sufiyan’s case is particularly heartwarming because of his background. His family does not have anything it might take to make a case ‘high-profile’:  his father, Anwar, runs a garage in Sakinaka.

But the  stories of Karnik and  Sufiyan show that the Mumbai police has all that is required to make a great force: detection prowess, capacity to move quickly on leads, and ability to mount efficient operations in the  face of high risks. So why are we not hearing of more stirring tales about the police?

It seems to me that the answer lies not in the force but in its mission, which is — of course — defined by political masters. The incredible pressure from netas to bend the rules, and the threat of punishment transfers make the cops focus on survival rather than setting law-enforcement trends.

Some time ago, I saw a programme on one of the infotainment channels featuring a US state which has a police department working only on cold cases. Crimes that were considered insoluble years ago are taken up by this department. Many of the most heinous crimes are solved because the department has one great factor working for it: the complacency of criminals. But the department also has state-of-the-art forensic lab and the support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Police forces in India, however, are so under-staffed that working on current cases proves to be a stretch. Forget cold cases! The reputation of our very own federal investigation agency, CBI, is so dodgy that its entry into the scene no longer inspires confidence. We do not know yet what the NIA can do.

As for the CBI, it has been emasculated by, who else, the netas. The police force needs to cleanse itself. It can happen only when brave men and women stand up to bosses and begin whistle-blowing. And that requires the courage of Tukaram Omble.