Police’s response to Bollers’ peaceful protest confirmed no attitudinal changes in that institution

I write this letter in solidarity with Police Officer Shawnette Bollers in her struggle to get justice for an alleged grievous crime committed against her by an attorney-at-law, Nirvan Singh, son of the former Chancellor of the Judiciary. Bollers faced with police inaction in her matter, brought private criminal charges against Singh for spitting in her face and making racist, insulting remarks. Her case was unceremoniously discharged by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, without any judicial explanation.

I first learnt of the DPP’s action in the matter while viewing Dr. David Hinds, Politics 101 on Thursday evening, May 19, 2022. Hinds observed that Bollers was protesting by herself in front of the DPP’s Office and made a passionate call for support for her cause and it got a positive response. PNCR activists were out in support of Shawnette Bollers. There was a stand/face-off between the police, Bollers and her supporters in front of the DPP’s office. A peaceful picket exercise was deemed by the police unlawful with threats to use force, and backed up by police reinforcements. To avoid a violent confrontation with the police in their backyard (Eve Leary). Bollers, a police officer, sensed possible danger to her supporters and moved the protest to the police barriers located some distance from the DPP office, thereby preempting an unnecessary use of force by the police.

Standing at the barriers, and paying keen attention to developments, I observed the behaviour of both the protestors and police. The situation was an interesting spectacle of people’s determination to be seen and heard and the police’s instinctiveness for repression. Most of the police officers were of the younger generation and their attitude to public protest was as backwards as that of the older generation officers. There is no sense of change in that institution, no new thinking, but predictable conduct. The utterances of Bollers directed to the police were a mixture of condemnation and appeal for solidarity. She made the point that she is one of them, was abused on the job, and that it could happen to any one of them: “when I leave my home that day for work, I did not expect what happened to me to occur and the same could happen to any one of you”.

The profoundness of the logic got to some officers at times during the protest. I sensed some reflection on their part. The most moving moment was when Bollers burst into tears as she continuously repeated: “the least I expect was that the police would have allowed my protest in front the DPP’s office”. When consoled by supporters she kept repeating: “you all don’t know how it is hurting me to be treated this way by my colleagues “. It was 11 am and the protest ended with a commitment to resume next Monday. I end with the observation that this Nirvan Singh/Shawnette Bollers case has laid bare the institutional racism against Africans and the political domination of the PPPC in the post-2022 elections. The small solidarity protest with Officer Bollers and the conduct of the police leadership is another indication of the challenges that Africans face in dealing with an institution often claimed by Indian Rights activists as a fortress for African defense. We Africans know otherwise from past and present experience.