‘Auction key slots, breed such shame’

No police commissioner has ever been arrested earlier. The worst ignominy that any commissioner had experienced before was when one previous one’s effigy was erected by policemen at the Naigaum police headquarters and garlanded with shoes. Accusing him of corruption, they had refused to allow that commissioner to attend the Commemoration Day parade in 1981. He had to be replaced .

Sharma’s case is worse. Older officers could see it coming. For the past four years, they heard figures being quoted. These figures were of the reported payments that were being made to the departmental and political bosses, particularly the latter. The figures went into crores for the commissioner’s post. It was rumoured that lobbies advanced the money upfront in return for future favours! And all this did no credit to the way this state was run.

If top positions are auctioned, the department will turn into a den of thieves. Any inclination to dip one’s hands into other’s pockets can be curbed by leaders. If the leaders themselves join in the loot, there can be no hope for the people. This is something that a group of retired IAS and IPS officers has been emphasising in their interactions with the CM. It is important to ensure that only competent and honest officers are selected for leadership roles. Then only can people expect some relief from the constant worry of being served by ‘‘criminals in uniform’’. The CM was a former cop and he knows the pulse of the rank and file. Morale is so low at present that the only course of action is to make a clean sweep of all those cops who have managed to come to this city for the wrong reasons.