Deteriorating police leadership
This is high time,we pay our attention to the policing aspects of our society that remind of nothing but era of Aurangzeb whose brutalities and atrocities disintegrated the well founded and nurtured empire of Akabar the Great.Our this great democracy is also no better with people entrusted with responsibilities acting in disguise replicating the same tyranny.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"
It is The complete failure of police leadership that becomes visible either in the form of Jessica case or Priya darshini Mattoo case ,Whether it is the police claim of recovery of the son of Adobe India CEO or Nithari, Allhabad madarssaa case or Khairlanji, police lathi charge of Gurgaon on Honda employees or registering of false cases against the activists of Bejghera/Dadri, Singur or Nandigram,1984 0r 2000,Punjab or Gujarat the examples of complete failure of police leadership are in galore.
If you interact with any civilian, the very mention of word police to him, evokes nothing but cynical distrust and a feeling of hatred in him and we must not forget that police is the only most visible government representative on the streets, whether it is earthquake or the domestic violence, monkey menace or road accident the representation of police is inseparable. Police leadership by the virtue of its position has ensconced itself in the enclave of immunity. When there is question of accountability the highest police leadership always borders on the rank of Inspector or sub Inspector (SHO or SO) but when it comes to holding of press conference and taking the credit this leadership starts from superintendent of police and goes up to director-general of police. If there is public outcry on police failure, the mafia comprising of the pseudo intellectuals hailing from the fraternity of Ex-police officers who had made the hay while the sun was shinning during their tenures as the serving police officers come to fore front and start calling Wolf by crediting politicians for the mess. Everything is blamed to political interference and we have started seeking fixed tenures with the backing of Apex Court. Let us not forget that politicians you elect only for five years but this mafia continues unabated with complete immunity in service between 30-40 years and thereafter they don the cloak of reformers and continue the whitewash on misdeeds being perpetrated by their fraternity in the service of worlds largest democracy.If we have a look on the list of officers faced judicious trials for corruption/malpractices and the outcome and the similar actions in the Indian Army,we will come to know about the value system in both these organizations.
I am really confused that whether the police officers job is skilled one or the unskilled one, the value system, the ethics prevalent in the police organisations call for a serious introspection for us as a society and find out answers to this most intriguing state of affairs. Whether it is police or the politicians, we cannot view them in isolation. They are both reflections of our society and outcome of our indifferent attitude for having given social acceptance to their corrupt ways. I know if we will put this question to my friends in intelligence bureau & RAW they will blame Pak ISI and the ball will go in the court of General Mussharaf or the Maoists spreading militancy and another plum job offer to some Molester and the desired results will never emerge but further injustice and alienation of the people in this worlds largest democracy.
The policing is a very demanding and specialised job and can be performed successfully by only those who have courage of convictions and believe in value system of the society rather being pliable and acting as fundraisers.
I do appreciate the idea of Dr Kiran Bedi,DG Bureau of Police Research and Development, who has very recently initiated the first step by organising a colloquium on police research leading to the participation of even common man, her revolutionary step has brought out the issue of police from the protected domain of the few privileged ones to the open forum.we with these few very exceptional officers must get going to help the society in regaining the police system that a democratic and civilized society deserves,The police system lead by values driven leadership and not the bunch of morally bankrupt and incompetent lot that keeps climbing the ladder by the virtue of their insignificance and pliability.Let us embark upon this adventures journey(bcoz more radical views can have the panacea of a simple fakeencounter) for a police system that should be concerned with the dignity of common man.
"from this day to the ending of the world,but we in it shall be remembered,
we few,we happy few,we band of brothers,for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother"
- Shakespeare in King Henry V