Police Reforms Must Start With The Political System – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

SINGHAMS

• Police was in the news for the right reasons till yesterday — for its humanitarian role during the pandemic. Unfortunately, the pendulum has very soon swung to the other extreme.
• The brutal treatment of a father and son in Sathankulam police station of Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu, resulting in their death, exposed the ugly face of the police.

 EXTREME METHODS

•  It showed that the police are still relying on medieval methods in their day to day working and that custodial torture continues to be an area of serious concern.
• It is a great pity that the high court had to step in and the case had to be handed over to the CBI. The situation could have been easily defused if the officers had risen to the occasion and ensured action under the law. We are now faced with the embarrassment of the UN Secretary General wanting the incident to be investigated.

ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

• On top of that, we have an encounter in Kanpur where a criminal wanted for the murder of eight policemen was killed by UP Police under circumstances which have raised uncomfortable questions.
• As far back as 1993, the Vohra Committee had submitted a report on the nexus between the criminals, politicians and government functionaries. The DIB, in his report to the Committee, clearly stated that “the network of the mafia is virtually running a parallel government And it was futile to expect any decisive action.

ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

• They started contesting elections on party tickets. It is a sad reflection on our democracy that the number of members of parliament with criminal background has been going up with every successive election.
• The present UP Assembly has 36 per cent or 143 MLAs with criminal cases against them..

WHAT IS THE WAY OUT?

• The nexus will have to be broken and reforms must start with the political system. We must have a law which debars persons with serious criminal cases from entering the assemblies and the Parliament.
• Secondly, the criminal justice system must be revamped as recommended by the Malimath Committee.
•  Thirdly, the Supreme Court’s directions on police reforms must be implemented.

WHAT IS THE WAY OUT?

• Fourthly, an institution comprising representatives of the police/CBI/NIA, Intelligence Bureau, Income Tax department, Revenue Intelligence and Enforcement Directorate should be set up to monitor the activities of the mafia and criminal syndicates in the country and ensure stringent action against them.
• Fifthly, a Central act on the lines of MCOCA should be enacted to curb the activities of organised criminal gangs.
• Sixthly, the concept of federal crime, as recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, should be accepted

WHAT IS THE WAY OUT?

• The aftermath of George Floyd  were countrywide protests and demonstrations. The Democrats in Washington even drafted a Bill called the Justice in Policing Act for police reforms.
• President Donald Trump, responding to the widespread demand for police reforms, signed an executive order on June 16 to establish a database which would track police officers with excessive use of force complaints in their records.
• It would, besides, give the police department a financial incentive to adopt best practices and encourage co-responder programmes in which social workers would join the police when they respond to non-violent calls involving mental health, addiction and homeless issues.

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