A cop out
Maharashtra is going to the polls again. The new government’s first sitting will be right around the first anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai.
Maharashtra is going to the polls again. The new government’s first sitting will be right around the first anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai. There will be the usual one minute’s silence, teary words of praise, medals and memorials and the usual chorus for all to join in making Mumbai safe. But are words enough?
One year after 26/11, the mainstream Maharashtra civilian police force, which the public relies on for their day to day safety, is in no better shape. True, since 9/11 jumbo security councils have been formed, land allocated for a new NSG hub; local units raised and money found for beefing up arms and equipment.
But no number of specialist militarised police armed to the teeth and trained to take out occasional baddies will sort out the shortcomings in ordinary policing. Guns and grenades in distrusted hands will not make ordinary Maharashtrians or Mumbaikars feel safe from the many insecurities of every day life.
The situation for day-to-day people’s policing remains as it was. Illegitimate political interference in recruitment, postings and transfers makes sure that wrong people go unpunished and right people are shunted to the sidelines. There is little hope of fine management of law and order or state security while unseemly battles for leadership are being fought through courts with allegations and influence on every side creating oceans of inefficiency for all to see.
Police bias, abuse of power and uncontrolled violence remain standard operating procedure. Feelings of injustice, victimisation and helplessness daily contribute to building maelstroms of fear and loathing within minorities and among the majority poor who bear the full weight of bad policing.
At the same time, while subject to the whims and under the thumb of every politician that comes along, police leadership continues to willingly bend over for power, the cutting edge sees its self-interest lying with the strongest whether they are criminal or not, and the rank and file feel demeaned and undervalued by their own leadership and disliked and distrusted by the public. Morale is low and morality lower.
But the cure for making things better was with the government of Maharashtra as long ago as 2006 when the Supreme Court directed each state to make changes in the way the police is controlled and supervised, how its leadership is chosen, appointed and then manages itself internally, and how it deals with its own bad behaviour and criminal activity.
In other words, in the absence of political will to put things right by itself, the SC gave Maharashtra very specific directions to set up the basic machinery that would provide our people with better policing.
But the government of Maharashtra has done everything to delay the evil day when it will have to acknowledge that policing must not belong to the regime in power but be for the public good. It has filed three affidavits and a review petition that was dismissed against the apex court’s directions.
Finally in 2008 it published orders setting out its intention to set up the Supreme Court directed machineries — a state security commission, a police establishment board, and police complaints authorities at state and district level. And that is where reform lies — on paper. But even here, the composition and powers of the intended institutions are designed to dilute the effect of the Court’s judgement and weaken the possibility of Maharashtra having a substantially improved police any time soon.
The coming election once again offers the opportunity to right the wrongs done to the public. All political manifestos need to promise time bound commitment to implementing the Supreme Court’s orders.
The new Congress manifesto at the Centre says “The Indian National Congress recognises the imperative of police reforms. A clear distinction between the political executive and police administration will be made. The police force will be better provisioned especially in the matter of housing and education facilities; the police force will be made more representative of the diversity of our population; and police recruitment will be made more effective and training professionalised to confront new and emerging threats. Accountability of the police force will be institutionalised.”
Maharashtra has scorned every opportunity to improve policing. This stubbornness has cost lives. Had the Maharashtra government begun the process of improving policing for its people in 2006 perhaps July and November 2008 may never have happened and there would be no need for one minute silences for our dead men women and children.
The writer is director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
One year after 26/11, the mainstream Maharashtra civilian police force, which the public relies on for their day to day safety, is in no better shape. True, since 9/11 jumbo security councils have been formed, land allocated for a new NSG hub; local units raised and money found for beefing up arms and equipment.
But no number of specialist militarised police armed to the teeth and trained to take out occasional baddies will sort out the shortcomings in ordinary policing. Guns and grenades in distrusted hands will not make ordinary Maharashtrians or Mumbaikars feel safe from the many insecurities of every day life.
The situation for day-to-day people’s policing remains as it was. Illegitimate political interference in recruitment, postings and transfers makes sure that wrong people go unpunished and right people are shunted to the sidelines. There is little hope of fine management of law and order or state security while unseemly battles for leadership are being fought through courts with allegations and influence on every side creating oceans of inefficiency for all to see.
Police bias, abuse of power and uncontrolled violence remain standard operating procedure. Feelings of injustice, victimisation and helplessness daily contribute to building maelstroms of fear and loathing within minorities and among the majority poor who bear the full weight of bad policing.
At the same time, while subject to the whims and under the thumb of every politician that comes along, police leadership continues to willingly bend over for power, the cutting edge sees its self-interest lying with the strongest whether they are criminal or not, and the rank and file feel demeaned and undervalued by their own leadership and disliked and distrusted by the public. Morale is low and morality lower.
But the cure for making things better was with the government of Maharashtra as long ago as 2006 when the Supreme Court directed each state to make changes in the way the police is controlled and supervised, how its leadership is chosen, appointed and then manages itself internally, and how it deals with its own bad behaviour and criminal activity.
In other words, in the absence of political will to put things right by itself, the SC gave Maharashtra very specific directions to set up the basic machinery that would provide our people with better policing.
But the government of Maharashtra has done everything to delay the evil day when it will have to acknowledge that policing must not belong to the regime in power but be for the public good. It has filed three affidavits and a review petition that was dismissed against the apex court’s directions.
Finally in 2008 it published orders setting out its intention to set up the Supreme Court directed machineries — a state security commission, a police establishment board, and police complaints authorities at state and district level. And that is where reform lies — on paper. But even here, the composition and powers of the intended institutions are designed to dilute the effect of the Court’s judgement and weaken the possibility of Maharashtra having a substantially improved police any time soon.
The coming election once again offers the opportunity to right the wrongs done to the public. All political manifestos need to promise time bound commitment to implementing the Supreme Court’s orders.
The new Congress manifesto at the Centre says “The Indian National Congress recognises the imperative of police reforms. A clear distinction between the political executive and police administration will be made. The police force will be better provisioned especially in the matter of housing and education facilities; the police force will be made more representative of the diversity of our population; and police recruitment will be made more effective and training professionalised to confront new and emerging threats. Accountability of the police force will be institutionalised.”
Maharashtra has scorned every opportunity to improve policing. This stubbornness has cost lives. Had the Maharashtra government begun the process of improving policing for its people in 2006 perhaps July and November 2008 may never have happened and there would be no need for one minute silences for our dead men women and children.
The writer is director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative