The need for police reforms in India

For a country like India to prosper, the functioning of the police is crucial and must be monitored

Jinit Parmar's Blog

Democracy is surely made of four pillars; the legislative, executive, judiciary, and the media but it stands on the ground which we may call, the police. For the smooth functioning of the pillars, a systematic working police force plays a huge role. 

The aberrant killing of Vikas Dubey and the disclosure of his alliance with several police officers showcase the political nexus angle and highlight the urgent need for change in the police system. This being one of the many latest examples of unlawful police action, an important and a much less discussed topic in today's news arena comes into the light; the police reforms. 

From January 2020 to July 2020, 914 judicial and police deaths (53 in police custody) were reported by the National Human Rights Commission. 

Talks of Police Reforms in the past   

Questions on the police reforms were asked way back in the day. Through various committees and organizations viz. National Police Commission in 1977, Ribero Committee in 1998, and Padmanabhaiah Committee in 2000 to name a few to discuss and decide on all-around developments, serious implementations are hard to be seen. 

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in 1996 by two former director generals of police - Prakash Singh and NK Singh asking the Supreme Court to implement directives and recommendations. The Supreme Court in consideration of the PIL laid out seven directives for the Union and the States to adhere to.

These directives opened a new tunnel in the history of Police reforms in India and surely culminated in a new light in the mind of an Indian citizen. 

What is next?

According to an analysis by Human Rights Initiative, 93% of (27 states) have constituted a state security commission, and only two states viz. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have implemented a state security commission binding on the state government.

On the contrary, a report by Common Cause revealed that while investigating a criminal case, around 33% or 1 in every 3 police personnel experiences political pressure and in the cases which involve famous or influential personalities, the pressure is experienced by 38% of the personnel.   

PM Modi at the All India Director General of Police Conference at Dhorda, Kutch in 2015 said that, 

"Police forces should establish strong links with the local community and connect with people"

According to India Spend, 1 out of every 5 police personnel felt killing criminals is better than a legal trial and 3 out of 4 personnel felt violence is totally justified towards criminals.

Technological Aspect 

In a country of 1.3B people, patrolling, managing, and running the daily operations becomes a heavy and draining activity for the police force. 

Although the sanctioned police strength in 2016 in India was 181 per lakh, the reality plays a different tone. The actual strength was only 137 per lakh while the recommendations by the United Nations specify 222 police personnel per lakh people. 

To practice their duties in motion and keep a close eye on their physical as well as mental health, the police need reforms in the tech sector as well. The latest modern implementations are the quick tracking of Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) and modernization of the control room. 

What will the future present?

Over the years, governments have changed in the Centre as well as at the State levels but no principle movements have been witnessed in police reforms. Politicians use the police force for covering their malicious activities and hence the development remains still.  

The case of the transfer of Ashok Khemka is one of the examples which shows how honest officers are treated.

As the government is privatizing airports, banks, railways, etc., it is also the time to lease out total control of the Police force to private players. Maybe this could bring in the Police of the people. 

References:
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Comments

  1. sandra danielsDecember 12, 2020 at 12:12 PM

    such a great information for blogger i am a information seeker, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jinit Parmar's BlogDecember 12, 2020 at 2:56 PM

      Thank you Sandra Daniels. There's a lot more interesting stuff. Do read other blogs.

      Delete

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