Former Commissioner of Police in Mumbai Param Bir Singh’s accusations about state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reflects the rot that has set in the present system of the police administration almost all across the country and the nexus that exists between politicians and the police.
My friend from Ranchi, Philip Matthew, wrote to me saying he was bewildered that intellectuals in the country were shocked at the revelations that have come out of the Sachin Vaze controversy. As a businessman, he knows how the palms of administration need to be greased to get even honest work done.
While Param Bir Singh may have tried to become a whistleblower, peddling to his political mentor in order to save his skin, the fact remains that he was in a position to say ‘no’ and could have taken corrective steps. His own investigations into high-profile cases have put question marks and brought down the credibility of the Mumbai Police by many notches.
But my concern is not about the Vaze affair. This would surely reach a conclusion and bring some sobering effect on the system of patronage that has been the legacy of the British Raj. My concern is the feeling that a common man in this country gets any time they face such a situation.
Has Independence done any good to the poorest of the poor? He has got voting rights and he votes when there is an emotional polarisation that prevents him from exercising his choice based on logical issues such as bijli, sadak, paani and good governance. Then those who are voted blame the voters, saying, ‘You get the government that you deserve’. And the system continues.
Nobody questions why even more than 70 years after Independence, we are still talking of providing basic facilities to the common man. It is abhorrent that so many people in the country are without toilet facilities, something that should have come as a basic right and been included in our human rights.
Ask any political representative and he would tell you that the maximum complaints he gets from people are about the high-handedness of the police. A young man has to ask his representative to intervene when his motorcycle is impounded by the police because getting it back is a tortuous process. A crime happens but the FIR is lodged depending on the power of the litigant or his ability to grease the palms of the right people.
On most occasions, the police are seen as the official goonda machinery and the system of corruption and dadagiri goes on with the unbridled power enjoyed by a police thana in-charge. The daroga system has made the thana in-charge very powerful. Even the top of the police hierarchy has to go through him. He is the king and the lord of his area.
Policymakers, particularly political representatives, need to understand the deleterious impact that the fear of the police has on the common man. The test of this institution is whether it is the first stop for a person to lodge a complaint when an incident happens. Usually, the person would prefer to go to the local goonda rather than the police. He knows that going to the police will invite trouble and disturb his peace.
The biggest challenge facing decision makers today is to get this fear out of the poor and strengthen the institutions of governance at the grassroots. The state or its character is known by the face of its police—whether the thana in-charge and his men are humble and care about regaining the trust of the public.
If the police become an instrument to run extortion rackets in deference to political masters or even otherwise, the credibility of the state gets completely undermined. People get frustrated and lose faith in the system. In the longer run, governance becomes extremely difficult. Most people respect the law because they have faith in the system. This hemline of faith needs to be strengthened to strengthen democracy.
If police officials or other important officials of the executive get postings or transfers because of paying bribes, they can’t be expected to deliver honesty and accountability. They would use their tenure to extract money first to compensate themselves and then to make more money for their next postings. Politicians who are a part of this system would have no incentive to bring some order either.
In the age of neo-liberalisation, such a police force becomes antithetical to economic reforms. Business activities would not pick up unless honest entrepreneurship is encouraged. If a businessman has to pay to let his business exist, he would resort to cheating the system. He has to become dishonest to survive. Those who do not compromise would either leave the business or leave the country.
While a few thrive due to the system, it is the government which suffers the most. We are already very low on global rankings given the levels of corruption and this system further ensures that the only people who remain in the country are crooks. Most government officials treat businessmen as cheats and deal with them accordingly. But the time has come to change this mindset. Those who produce wealth must be respected if society has to progress to a better way of life.
If a businessman seeks an appointment with concerned officials to get his grievances addressed, he finds it very difficult. I remember when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, business people used to get a red-carpet welcome. They were respected for the role they played. While they offered jobs to youths, the taxes they paid made the state rich enough to take care of the needy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought hope by encouraging reforms. The system of licences has been eased and the government has tried to launch an onslaught on the Inspector Raj that stymied the system. Now registering a company is just a click away. The PAN card and other associated documents come to people automatically. The process of income tax assessment and scrutiny has also been simplified and made more transparent.
But such far-reaching reforms have not been undertaken at the level of the police. We must remember that policing is a state subject and all the states must come to a consensus on police reforms to make this possible. Using digital technology to bring more transparency such as the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations would definitely bring more transparency and accountability.
We have a provision of Special Police Officers too, but this is not enough. We need public accountability of the police. This can be done with an image audit of police thanas by a committee of senior citizens. Such an audit should have strong weightage while writing the ACR of police officials.
Many other suggestions have been given by experts on how to reform the police system. Since it is operating in society and has a huge influence on people’s minds, it must be held accountable to people. A better police force means a better image for the political party in power and stronger support of people. We have seen how a young police officer in his tenure can make so much of a difference and how people love him and respect him.
When the UPA was in power, Sonia Gandhi had tried to fix BJP leaders in Gujarat. There is a saga of how witnesses were created and cases lodged just to fix them since they posed a threat to the Gandhi family’s political hegemony. However, it did not work and the Gandhis were thrown out of power. One must remember that people indulging in corrupt practices and policemen acting as fixers for the political party in power get exposed sooner rather than later.
The writer is convener of the Media Relations Department of the BJP and represents the party as a spokesperson on TV debates. He has authored the book ‘Narendra Modi: The Game Changer’. The views expressed are personal.