In J&K, overdependence on central police forces is folly

The media is full of foggy pontification on what should be done in Kashmir. More money for economic development and greater regard for human rights are as usual touted as a recipe for all the ills of the Valley.

For a change, our politicians sound a lot better than the TV commentators. Adhering to the old adage, ‘silence is golden’, they know that if any of them spoke, they could get exposed for their bigotry or ignorance.

Islamabad should be happy: 50 deaths in street violence in as many days is something of a bonus to tell the rest of the world that Kashmiris are unreconciled to New Delhi. Fury in the Valley against misgovernance is, however, so enormous and spontaneous that our mischievous neighbour does not need to whip up passions. Ammunition is aplenty and is being used generously each day to embarrass Omar Abdullah and his backers in South and North Block.

While the obvious target is the distant New Delhi, those who immediately bear the brunt of taunting and stone-pelting by the youth are the security forces. One should not especially ignore the influence of all that is happening in the Valley on the local police. This is a neglected force with low motivation and morale.

Remember that it is working under trying circumstances sharing the usual problems of the rest of the police in the country: political interference, corruption and only a modest respect for human rights. The lack of any great professionalism on its part is a product of all three shortcomings. In addition, members of the local police play second fiddle to the army and the paramilitary forces (PMF), such as the BSF and CRPF.

In this canvas, to expect the J&K police to remain unaffected by the manner in which the former operate is unrealistic and downright unfair. You cannot fault them if they are either passive, allowing the army and PFM to call the tune or if they start emulating the latter.

The latest disturbing news is that many local policemen, including those at the supervisory levels, are avoiding duties at the especially difficult centres of Baramulla district by going on leave, feigning illness. More shocking is the report that, after each day’s duty, policemen prefer to shed uniform and don civvies, and saunter around with civilian ID cards. Can anything be more shameful?

What is the long-term impact of all this on a police force that is primarily meant for maintaining law and order? J&K’s continued heavy dependence for years to come on Central forces could be disastrous, unless one is reconciled to the position that things will never return to normalcy in the state. This would mean writing off an entire police force and denying normal police services to the average citizen.

Remember that it is this non-availability of the civilian police that has been the bane of the many regions in the country now affected by unabated Naxalite violence. Alongside taking care of the street violence presently enveloping most of the Kashmir Valley, we need to improve grassroots policing. Or else the local community will be permanently alienated from the civil administration.

Rightly or wrongly I am tempted to draw an analogy here with the situation in Northern Ireland, where Catholic-Protestant animosity and a distrust of Westminster continues to divide the Northern Ireland police. The Chris Patten Commission (1998-99) went into the whole issue and gave a generally satisfactory formula to rescue a beleaguered police.

There are still signs of aggression on the part of the Catholics, something that does not bode well for the future. We should not allow a similar situation to develop in Kashmir where the force itself gets divided between a Hindu leadership and a Muslim-dominated lower rung. Fortunately, this has not happened till now. The IPS cadre of the state is awfully short of officers.

As a result, the government is finding it hard to get a suitable substitute for the present DGP. Incidentally, the sacrifice of a DGP just for the sake of a symbolic change is highly questionable in the absence of a conviction that he mishandled the situation.

Equally tricky is whether the import of many Muslim IPS officers from other states to fill top posts in Kashmir is advisable at all. If not, how else is one going to strengthen the higher echelons of the J&K police? Beefing up the state police through a special recruitment at the officer-level is one possible way. It is issues like these that should be debated once the unrest in the region is defused.

And I am certain the situation will improve within months, for no one can sustain a popular revolt for too long. A well-trained and motivated police is a definite means of building support for a democracy and tempering civilian unrest. The Union home ministry has the right talent to draw up a blueprint. The National Police Academy, Hyderabad and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) have their work cut out.