Mumbai believes rogue cops bumped off J Dey

When we decided to commission the respected Centre for Forecasting & Research (Cfore) to survey Mumbaikars in the aftermath of the June 11 daylight shooting of MiD DAY journalist J Dey, we did not imagine how strongly the public would react.

One in every two city residents believes rogue cops killed Dey; despite his known background as a reporter on the underworld, less than a quarter of the respondents believed the underworld or the diesel mafia (which killed Yashwant Sonawane in January) was behind the murder.

It is logical then that an overwhelming 97% of the respondents want the case handed over to the CBI.

Cynically, more than half believed the police would frame innocents and allow the case to fall apart in court, and more than a third felt the case would remain a perennial whodunit. Only one in 10 had faith in the police cracking the case.

It is not surprising then that most of Mumbai thinks its police force ranks among the worst in the country. The survey shows that for the public, a police nexus with the underworld is a given and political interference goes without saying.

The average citizen does not feel confident about going to a police station to make a complaint; a third of respondents believed they would be asked for a bribe and another quarter was certain of shabby treatment. All is not lost, commissioner Arup Patnaik.

Almost two-thirds of the respondents agreed that the police’s image hinges on the case. Solving it may salvage your reputation somewhat.