Police

Police

Opinion 27 July 2021

This corruption of Police devastates human lives

By Advocate Mohammad Shoaib and Sandeep Pandey That corruption is rampant in the police department is a common experience. However, there is another form of corruption that devastates the lives of individuals and their families. It has now emerged as a common phenomenon that police more often than not register false cases because of which individuals have to spend a number of years in jail. Sometimes their period in jail extends beyond the punishment if they were to be convicted in the charge for which they landed in jail. For lack of evidence, many such individuals get acquitted or eventually get bail but by that time their lives are beyond redemption. Father Stan Swamy was in jail in a false case. He had not even heard of Bhima Koregaon, what to talk of having participated in any meeting related to it or the violence which took place there in 2018. The court would not even give bail to him in spite of his age and ill health, as a consequence of which he died after 9 months in jail. Recently Kishorchandra Wangkhem, journalist, and Erendra Leichonbam, activist, from Manipur, spent two months in jail under National Security Act for criticism over Facebook of the efficacy of cow dung and urine as a cure for Covid, something for which even ordinary penal sections do not apply. When it comes to terrorism-related cases the accused are labelled as terrorists by the security agencies as well as media even before a case has been filed or been heard in a court of law. On the other hand a politician in jail, even under serious charges, can contest elections until he is convicted. The conviction under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is hardly 2% indicating that most arrested under terror charges are innocents who ultimately get acquitted. But the stringent provisions of law make it difficult for any accused to get bail. In Lucknow, on 11 July 2021, Minhaz Ahmed, aged about 30 years, and Masiruddin, aged 50 years, have been arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad accused of being members of Ansar Gazwatul Hind…

National News

India, News, Politics 12 September 2020

Will the Lathi Charge on Farmers by Haryana Police have any adverse effect on BJP-JJP Govt?

Farmers from the different parts of Haryana, who gathered at Kurukshetra on September 10, 2020, to protest against the three anti-farmer central ordinances on the call of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), were lathi-charged by the Haryana Police. Since long the Farmers’ Unions of the state have been demanding the withdrawal of these three ordinances namely Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 an amendment in the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Amid an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, the state government had asked the Kisan Unions not to organize the farmers rally, but despite government’s appeal the farmers gathered to attend the rally. While making an appeal, on September 9, to the farmers to postpone the rally in the time of this COVID-19 crisis, Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Mr. J.P Dalal had said, “Haryana Government is a farmer-friendly Government as it has consistently taken farmer-friendly decisions, whether it is about giving compensation, or developing new Mandis.” As the farmers’ bodies fear that farmers may not get a minimum support price (MSP) for crops after the introduction of new rules, commenting over the this, Mr. J.P Dalal had clarified that the State Government was committed to providing Minimum Support Price for all the crops of the farmers of the State. Besides this, the Government is also dedicated to further expanding the government Mandis in the State. He divulged that in the meeting held late last evening between Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader, Mr. Gurnam Chaduni and senior officers it was clarified that the State Government is also ready to strengthen the statutory arrangements in this regard. Therefore, he expects that the proposed Kisan Rally scheduled to be held on September 10, 2020 will be withdrawn. However, the farmers’ leaders were adamant to hold the rally, but they appealed to the farmers to attend the rally adhering to the COVID distancing norms to neutralize the plea of the state government to cancel the rally on the…

Police

Opinion 9 September 2020

Why Police is Casteist and Communal

Why Police is Casteist and Communal Sometime back a video of a police officer from Maharashtra, Bhagyashree Navtake had gone viral wherein she is seen bragging about how she files false cases against Dalits and Muslims and tortures them. It represents a crude but true picture of social prejudices in India’s police force. It is a fact that after all our policemen come from society, hence the police organisation is the true replica of our society. It is well known that our society is divided on caste, religion, communal and regional lines. Therefore, when people from society enter the police organisation they carry all their biases and prejudices with them. Rather they become stronger when such persons come to occupy positions of power. Their personal likes and dislikes; caste and communal prejudices influence their actions very strongly. These biases are often displayed in their behaviour and actions in situations where persons of other castes or communities are involved. A situation of blatant caste discrimination came to my notice when I was posted as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Gorakhpur in 1976. As ASP I was in charge of Reserve Police Lines. On one Tuesday which was a Parade Day, while taking a round of Police Mess I found that some persons were taking food sitting on the cemented tables and benches whereas some were sitting on the ground. It struck me as odd. I called one Head Constable and enquired about this dining situation. He told me that those sitting on the benches are high caste men and those sitting on the ground are low caste men. I was wonderstruck to see this blatant display of caste discrimination in the Police Lines. I decided to end this discriminatory practice. Hence on the next occasion when I noticed the same situation I asked the policemen sitting on the ground to get up and sit on the benches. I had to repeat it once or twice and was able to discontinue this discriminatory practice of segregated dining. Incidentally during that very period, I was asked by my boss to give a report on…