Ex cops, activists press for police reforms

A majority of the audiences’ questions focused on improving living conditions and specialised training of the police.

A gathering of civil society activists and former IPS officers at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Wednesday evening resolved to make police reforms in the state an election issue in the assembly polls due in October.

The talk, “Better Policing For A Safer Mumbai”, was chaired by former state Chief Secretary Jayant Banthiya, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Ribeiro, former Kerala DGP Jacob Punnoose and the Maja Daruwala, Director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. The session was moderated by former Loksatta Chief Editor Kumar Ketkar and organised by Mumbai First at the International Convention Center of BSE.

Former top cops, Ribeiro and Punnoose were unanimous in their condemnation of the politicians exerting complete control over the working of the police force in Maharashtra after the passing of the Maharashtra Police (Amendment) Ordinance in March.

The ordinance, they alleged, gives the state government sweeping powers over transfers and promotions over police personnel across ranks, in contravention of the Supreme Court’s guidelines on police reforms. ”There is no independent panel to either assess the police’s performance or to form policy. The public also has no forum which they can approach to complain about police atrocities,” said Daruwala.

According to Ribeiro, the DGP and the Commissioners of Police had been left powerless because police personnel at all levels have access to politicians. “These days, inspectors get postings from politicians, so they have no respect for the commissioner. A policeman today knows that a politician can save him under any circumstances, so he doesn’t care for the people. The police is losing every battle on the streets of Mumbai because politicians are running the force,” he said.
Punnoose added that the increasing power of politicians increases their interference in the work of police personnel. “There is no buffer that separates the lowest levels of the police and highest levels of the executive. When every policeman thinks that his only duty is to serve his senior’s wish – that is the politician’s – he feels he has no duty to the people. The police is trying to rule by inspiring fear in the people. A policeman thinks today that if he smiles when a person enters the police station, he loses his authority,” he said.

A majority of the audiences’ questions focused on improving living conditions and specialised training of the police. A follow up meeting has been scheduled on Thursday evening in Mahalakshmi where Dolphy D’Souza, convener of Police Reforms Watch, said strategies would be chalked out to make police reforms a pressing poll issue.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com

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