Police are not a neta’s private army

 

Whether it is Shaheen Bagh or Jamia Millia Islamia, Vikas Dubey encounter or Vikram Joshi killing, Kerala Gold Smuggling Case or Manipur Drug Lord case, the politicians’ stranglehold on police and other law enforcement agencies is clear.

This Vlog takes a look at the odious phenomenon and suggests liberation of the police from politicians’ deadly clutches.

Watch it on YouTube

 

“… (The) Police have let us down… there were times when the sub-inspector did not respond to our calls… This could have been prevented”. This quote from an Indian Express report dated 22 July on the killing of a Ghaziabad based journalist Vikram Joshi echoes grievances of victims of assorted crimes across the country. The local police could have prevented this murder. There were enough indications of the intentions of Vikram’s killers. But when have our police actually prevented a crime that targets common people anywhere in the country? Except, of course, on such TV shows as Crime Patrol.

This is not a solitary case. There are many. Let me cite one more. A mother-daughter duo from Amethi had to immolate themselves in front of the CM’s residence in Lucknow. The reasons were familiar. Harried by powerful land mafia and ignored by the police, the distraught women approached the local police station for help on several occasions. The police failed to protect them, which resulted in this tragedy. Abductions for ransom, blind murders and mob violence have become so routine that one really wonders whether the situation would ever improve. If nothing else, these crimes regularly expose bad governance and lack of professionalism in our police force.

At the other end of the geographical and social spectra, the law enforcing agencies in Kerala and Manipur have displayed all the ills prevalent elsewhere in India.

The Kerala case hit the headlines on July 05 when Customs officials at the Thiruvananthapuram airport seized 30 kg of gold, which was part of a diplomatic baggage addressed a West Asian country’s consulate.

FIRs were promptly lodged and investigations launched. So far so good. On July 9, the Union Home Ministry asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the case, citing "serious implications for national security".

The list of accused comprises:

• 1 Swapna Suresh, who used to work in the UAE consulate. She allegedly had contacts in Kerala’s  corridors of power.
• 2 M Sivasankar was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's principal secretary and headed the IT department, which hired Swapna Suresh.
• 3 PS Sarith is a former PRO at the UAE consulate. He, along with Swapna Suresh, is the prime accused.
• 4 Sandeep Nair, another accused, was arrested, along with Swapna Suresh, from Bengaluru.
• 5  Fazil Fareed, a Malayali based in the UAE, is also a key suspect in this case.

It is not clear whether the state police has had any role in the investigations, but two central government agencies, the Customs and the National Investigation Agency are handling the case. The accused have been either booked or nabbed. But the prompt politicisation of the issue is a tad worrisome. Both the Congress and the BJP are baying for Chief Minister Vijayan’s blood. Clearly, reasons are not altruistic, let alone patriotic. Vijayan heads the Left Democratic Front government – an eyesore for BJP as well as the Congress.

In stark contrast, the Manipur case, which predates the Kerala case by two years, could never stir up patriotic impulses in the BJP which rules the state as a dominant coalition partner. Naturally, the electronic media almost ignored the case, while the print media pursued it rather half-heartedly. If gold smuggling was involved in Kerala, drugs were the highlight of the crime in Manipur.

Thounaojam Brinda, the Assistant Superintendent of Police, then head of the Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB), she led a team of investigators on June 19, 2018,, to bust a drugs smuggling syndicate. The team seized about 4.6 kg of heroin, 2,80,000 “World is Yours” tablet,  and more than Rs 57 lakh in cash. In addition, there were Rs 95,000 in old currency notes, among other incriminating articles. She also arrested the notorious drug lord Lhukhosei Zhou along with his seven henchmen.

Soon after the seizure, the ASP, who much respected and decorated for her uprightness and professional integrity, started facing the rage of the establishment. Phone calls, veiled and direct threats became intense as her resistance to hints and blandishments increased. Zhou repeatedly asked her to come to a compromise and settle the issue but she refused.

Now she is facing contempt proceedings in a court of law.

As you can see, the political establishment decides what involves national security and what is a benign crime. Manipur, in the highly sensitive Northeast region shares international borders with Myanmar, which is more or less China’s client state. Any crime syndicate in Manipur is likely to pose a far more serious threat to our national security than in Kerala. Both the crimes are equally serious, then how come there is conspicuous silence over the Manipur Drug Lord case? This, when the self-proclaimed party of patriots BJP rules the state as well as the Centre.

While the electronic media has been flashing Swapna’s images several times a day every day and doing its damnedest to link CM Vijayan to the case, there is no celebration of ASP Thounaojam Brinda’s dedication to her profession and the country. I wonder whether the supremely patriotic north-easterner Arnab Goswami has even heard her name. Perhaps, deleted her from his memory bank?

Let us return to Uttar Pradesh. When a citizen goes to a police station to file a complaint, the least one expects is prompt action for apprehending the criminals or at least checking out the complaint. This apparently did not happen in Vikram’s case, who had to pay with his life for the police officer’s sheer lack of professionalism. Worse, policemen often collaborate with criminals – as revealed in the Vikas Dubey case.

UP is ruled by Yogi Adityanath. The state is a perennial headache. Notorious for gangsters and encounters, it could never be tamed by any government. VP Singh was arguably the first Chief Minister to resort to brazen encounter killings to get rid of goondaraj, but failed miserably. Yogi Adityanath, seems to be heading for similar results. Criminals, like the mythical demon Raktbeej, spring back stronger, and in larger numbers, after every government onslaught.

The reasons are many. However, it is political patronage that sustains gangs and gangsters. Not just in UP but other states too. This becomes clear when we see politicians jumping into the fray every time police take action against a high-profile criminal as happened in Manipur. The intent is to scuttle the case and allow the criminal to get away. This criminal may be a murderer, rapist, smuggler or a white-collared crook.

But it is not just criminals who get political patronage. There is a legion of police men and women who get away with anything because their political masters are by their side. During the Shaheen Bagh protests and police action on the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University campus, one watched in horror as goons attacked the unarmed peaceful citizens while police looked the other way. If Kapil Baisala aka Gujjar became an ugly face of police-backed goondaism in Shaheen Bagh there were any number of armed goons doing much worse in the JMI campus. Several videos show men in jeans raining lathi blows on students. One video showed a bunch of girl students protecting a male friend while goons attacked them with lathis under the policemen’s languid watch. As if this was not enough, the police raided the campus to “catch” troublemakers. They wrecked the lib­rary, severely beat up students who were peacefully studying there and randomly arrested some. Clearly, this was not a professional police force in action but henchmen in khaki doing the hatchet job for their political masters.

Whether you replace the present police set-up with commissariat or any other structure, it is not going to make any difference to their image unless there is transformation in their attitude and working style. The cop in common perception is as much to be avoided as the goon. And this is rather unfortunate, because the cop’s presence should reassure citizens that their life, limbs, property and dignity will be protected. Frankly, the police need the people’s confidence in their abilities and intentions as protectors and law-keepers so that they can discharge their duties efficiently. People can be their best allies in fighting crime. This can happen only if the police force comprises personnel with professional integrity. The police should never allow themselves to be used as the politician’s strong arm. They are and should behave like the law’s protective shield. There is a dire need to liberate the police force from the deadly clutches of politicians.

Will such a day ever dawn on India that is Bharat? Your guess is as good as mine.