02-18-2008, 02:37 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Corrupt police </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Make them taste life behind bars
The police in India are either held in contempt or in fear; very few people, if any at all, respect men (or women, for that matter) and officers in police uniform. The reason for this is not far to seek. Many in the affluent section of our society believe that they can break the law of the land and get away without being brought to book by bribing the police. The poor and the wretched, who struggle to keep body and soul together, are often harassed and hounded by the police in the hope of fleecing them. The police, of course, will insist that despite the presence of some black sheep, the force remains committed to enforcing the law and fighting crime. There is some truth in this claim, but it does not detract from the popular perception of the police which is anything but flattering. <b>And, this perception is strengthened every time police personnel are caught accepting bribes, as they were last week in Delhi. It now transpires that the accused in the horrific kidney transplant racket managed to evade arrest -- and thus prevent their grossly unethical trade in human organs from being exposed -- in early January by bribing personnel of Delhi Police, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector. Their silence was purchased for Rs 20 lakh.</b> True, those accused of accepting this tainted money are not senior officials, but bribes do tend to travel up the hierarchy; only the naïve would argue otherwise, just as it would be silly to pretend that there is no nexus between venal politicians and corrupt police personnel -- they seek and secure sustenance and protection from each other. Criminals are the third component of this axis of evil. For evidence, look at the foul role of a former Mumbai Police Commissioner in the fake stamp paper scam; in Nithari, innocent children would not have been sexually abused and then slaughtered by a businessman and his domestic help if the local police had not chosen to turn a blind eye to this ghastly crime because their palms had been greased. There are innumerable such examples that cannot but weaken faith in the integrity of the police.
Which does not necessarily mean that every officer or every constable is willing to compromise his or her integrity by accepting bribes or looking for sugar daddies in the political establishment. But their honesty and integrity are frowned upon and they find themselves either shunted to insignificant posts where they cannot do any 'harm', or are forced to cool their heels at headquarters, pushing files and penning notes that nobody will read. But it would be wrong to despair or embrace cynicism. The vast majority of India still comprises law-abiding citizens who are appalled by corruption in Government. The tragedy is that this majority chooses silence over protest, thus allowing the morally corrupt minority to flourish. The situation can still be retrieved if we the people were to stand up and insist on accountability by making our politicians, bureaucrats and police responsible for their deeds. The story about the corrupt Delhi Police personnel will disappear from newspapers and news channels after some days. But the people must pursue the case to its logical conclusion -- these policemen must be convicted and punished for their crime. And this must happen without any delay. Once those who abuse their power (and this includes politicians, bureaucrats, police personnel and petty officials) begin to get a taste of life behind bars, the bar of probity in public life will be automatically raised.
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The Pioneer Edit Desk
Make them taste life behind bars
The police in India are either held in contempt or in fear; very few people, if any at all, respect men (or women, for that matter) and officers in police uniform. The reason for this is not far to seek. Many in the affluent section of our society believe that they can break the law of the land and get away without being brought to book by bribing the police. The poor and the wretched, who struggle to keep body and soul together, are often harassed and hounded by the police in the hope of fleecing them. The police, of course, will insist that despite the presence of some black sheep, the force remains committed to enforcing the law and fighting crime. There is some truth in this claim, but it does not detract from the popular perception of the police which is anything but flattering. <b>And, this perception is strengthened every time police personnel are caught accepting bribes, as they were last week in Delhi. It now transpires that the accused in the horrific kidney transplant racket managed to evade arrest -- and thus prevent their grossly unethical trade in human organs from being exposed -- in early January by bribing personnel of Delhi Police, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector. Their silence was purchased for Rs 20 lakh.</b> True, those accused of accepting this tainted money are not senior officials, but bribes do tend to travel up the hierarchy; only the naïve would argue otherwise, just as it would be silly to pretend that there is no nexus between venal politicians and corrupt police personnel -- they seek and secure sustenance and protection from each other. Criminals are the third component of this axis of evil. For evidence, look at the foul role of a former Mumbai Police Commissioner in the fake stamp paper scam; in Nithari, innocent children would not have been sexually abused and then slaughtered by a businessman and his domestic help if the local police had not chosen to turn a blind eye to this ghastly crime because their palms had been greased. There are innumerable such examples that cannot but weaken faith in the integrity of the police.
Which does not necessarily mean that every officer or every constable is willing to compromise his or her integrity by accepting bribes or looking for sugar daddies in the political establishment. But their honesty and integrity are frowned upon and they find themselves either shunted to insignificant posts where they cannot do any 'harm', or are forced to cool their heels at headquarters, pushing files and penning notes that nobody will read. But it would be wrong to despair or embrace cynicism. The vast majority of India still comprises law-abiding citizens who are appalled by corruption in Government. The tragedy is that this majority chooses silence over protest, thus allowing the morally corrupt minority to flourish. The situation can still be retrieved if we the people were to stand up and insist on accountability by making our politicians, bureaucrats and police responsible for their deeds. The story about the corrupt Delhi Police personnel will disappear from newspapers and news channels after some days. But the people must pursue the case to its logical conclusion -- these policemen must be convicted and punished for their crime. And this must happen without any delay. Once those who abuse their power (and this includes politicians, bureaucrats, police personnel and petty officials) begin to get a taste of life behind bars, the bar of probity in public life will be automatically raised.
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