NK SINGH
There is no doubt
that we need police commissioner system in larger towns of Madhya Pradesh. The
much needed administrative reform is long overdue. Sky has not fallen in the 70
odd cities of the country where the system already exists, giving wide sweeping
powers to men, and women, in khaki.
There is also little
doubt that along with this reform we also need, immediately, a robust system of
dealing with complaints against police. A police commissioner is not a magic bullet
for crime control, the first and foremost duty of a government.
The controversy
over police commissioner system is essentially a war of hegemony between upper
caste IAS and lower caste IPS.
I was part of a
committee on police reforms, constituted by MP Government in 1994, that recommended
police commissioner system, as did many commissions and committees before that.
The committee was
headed by MC Trikha, a retired IPS officer known for his expertise in
intelligence work. Ashok Patel, a Padma Shri and a highly decorated police
officer known for excellent field work, was its member secretary. I was, so to
speak, the only civilian member of the committee, and as such, I guess, supposed
to represent the people.
The committee
toiled for nearly six years before submitting its report, spread over 25
volumes and thousands of pages, to the government. We took our job seriously. The
government did not. Digvijay Singh, who was the chief minister at that time,
could not get it implemented.
Those 25 volumes must be gathering dust
somewhere in the graveyards of Vallabh Bhavan, the nerve centre of state
administration at Bhopal. I wish someone has the time to read it, and read it
in totality.
You can’t pick up
the chapter on police commissioner and ignore the chapters on abolition of
orderly system or an all powerful ombudsman to hear complaints against police.
Our recommendations, based mostly on excellent work done by national police
commission, were based on the doctrine of power with accountability.
An Ombudsman for complaints against police
The committee had proposed
an ombudsman called Police Complaint Authority, on the model of New Zealand, to
be established on the lines of Lokayukt. We wanted the report of ombudsman to be binding
on the government.
It also
recommended mandatory judicial enquiry (not magisterial) in cases of death,
grievous hurt or rape of woman in police custody. The ombudsman was important
in the scheme of things because the committee had come to the conclusion that
police was protecting corrupt in their own ranks.
The committee was
not surprised, as no one would be, over complaints of widespread corruption. When
a policeman wants a thana or field posting, everyone, including the officers
and political bosses who sanction that, know what he is angling for.
In fact, 67 per
cent of the officers we interviewed candidly admitted that “corruption was
rampant in police force”. (However, asked to give a list of officers who could
be compulsorily retired for, the police headquarters could not find a single worthy
last year!)
Politician-police-mafia nexus
“The nexus between
money power and political power has broken down resistance at the lower level
of police administration in the field, “ said the report, concluding that,
because of it “a strong nexus has developed between the dishonest police
officers and dishonest politicians and mafia.”
The solution was
draconian. We recommended weeding out corrupt officers under article 311(2) (c)
of the constitution, under which President of India can dismiss at one at his
pleasure.
The committee recommended abolition of orderly system as we found that
officers were misusing the trained police force for menial jobs like cooking,
washing clothes, looking after pet dogs and cattle, sweeping houses, polishing
shoes, babysitting and tilling agricultural land. Orderly system was one of the
grievances of policemen when they revolted in 1981 in MP.
MP police had an
IG called KF Rustamji in the early 60s. He was the only IG in the state.
Now MP has 96
officers in the rank of IG and above to do the same job! As any casual visitor
to police headquarters would testify, many of the officers posted there sit
idle, sipping tea and busy with petty squabbles and office intrigues.
Merely introducing
a system that already exists in 71 other cities of the country is not going to control
crime.
Tailpiece
A wag has come out
with an innovative suggestion for smooth introduction of police commissioner
system: appoint IAS officers as police
commissioners of Indore and Bhopal. That will, goes the argument, stop the
bureaucrats’ opposition to the new system.
After all, if IPS
officers can be appointed in culture, finance, excise and transport
departments, why not IAS officers in police administration?
My column, Powers
That Be, in DB Post of 31 March 2018.
Tweets @nksexpress
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