Police leadership politicised, needs immediate overhaul

Camps exist among IPS officers who owe allegiance to one or the other political party. Politicians patronise weak and corrupt officers at the cost of public interest

othing shocks us anymore,” Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said while refusing to give an urgent hearing to the petition filed by CBI deputy inspector general (DIG) Manish Kumar Sinha recently. The officer, who is investigating allegations against Central Bureau of Investigation special director Rakesh Asthana, was abruptly transferred in the midnight purge at the agency.

Even sceptics now concede that a premier agency like the CBI is blatantly used to persecute political opponents. The episode further tarnishes the confidence in the CBI and the immediate repercussion is that West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have withdrawn the general consent for the agency to investigate cases in these states.

The lament of the fraternity of retired police officers that the episode has tarnished the CBI’s image and emanates from personality conflict attempts to obfuscate the concern of corruption among senior police officers.

Normally, IPS officers cover up for each other and go all out to save their ilk. There are numerous instances of an IPS officer on deputation to the central armed force like the Border Security Force having been caught indulging in corruption or some act of indiscipline being simply repatriated to his state cadre instead of being put to trial under stringent provisions of BSF Act. The CBI episode is an exception where two IPS officers are openly alleging corruption against each other.

CORRUPTION WITH IMPUNITY

Corruption in higher echelons of the police mostly happens through abuse of authority for personal gain in official capacity. It is often alleged that officers have to pay heavy bribes to senior officers to get posting to a place considered lucrative. It is alleged that police leaders, in turn, pay a large part of their illegal earnings to politicians.

Leaders of police have ceased to act as professionals and are thoroughly politicised. Police officers willingly bow to the demands of politicians in return of protection for their wrongdoings and also for security of tenure. Camps exist among IPS officers who owe allegiance to one or the other political party. Politicians patronise weak and corrupt officers at the cost of public interest.

Police officers openly flout the police code of conduct to secure convictions or release civilians and suspects — for example, through the use of falsified evidence. The CBI episode is a prime example. Use of discretion and selective enforcement of law is another type of corruption that they practice.

The constabulary that looks up to these police officers follows their example and indulges in corruption with impunity. As a visible face of the government, the police are seen as the most corrupt organisation as was brought out in a survey last year. The survey covering 20 states found more than a third of Indian households who interacted with the police had to pay bribes to them. The survey by the Centre for Media Studies covered about 3,000 people in both rural and urban areas and 10 public services. The police was followed by land/housing (24%), judicial services (18%) and tax (15%) related services.

These police leaders not only lead state police organisations but also head central paramilitary forces. They man sensitive posts at all levels in our premier investigative and intelligence-gathering agencies. The officers deputed to these organisations are supposed to be of unimpeachable integrity.

REVAMP SELECTIO PROCESS, TRAINING

The CBI episode again affirms that there is something drastically wrong with the selection and training of IPS officers that instead of converting the cream of our society into fine police leaders turns them into a bunch of effete self-serving individuals lacking in longterm vision and comprehension of complexities of organisations that they lead.

Had they been leading from the front, the state of law and order would not have been as bad as is prevalent and the working and living conditions of police would have been better.

The sorry state of personnel management in the central paramilitary forces headed by them is apparent from the quantum of litigation in these organisations. Operational setbacks suffered by some, especially the Central Reserve Police Force, is directly due to uninspiring leadership of these IPS officers interested in self-aggrandisement. The champions of police reforms focus only on peripheral aspects of security of tenure and ways to reduce political interference. Those are important and must be enforced.

However, it’s important to evolve a selection system that includes assessment of aptitude of a person for policing. It is also a ripe time to review the British legacy about selection of IPS officers directly from the market, especially adopted for colonies and instead adopt a methodology prevalent in Great Britain itself and in several countries where a police officer rises from the ranks. This has advantage as the person rising through the hierarchy has requisite experience and insight of the expectations from the police.

The training curriculum of IPS officers needs to be reviewed thoroughly to ensure they become good leaders instead of managers.

Investigation, law and order, intelligence, border security, and anti-militancy or anti-insurgency are different dimensions of the security system.

But in India they have all been clubbed under the broad head, policing. This is a serious compromise with the efficiency of these important functions involving the security of the nation.

There is an urgent need to overhaul the IPS as indeed is the need to have a fresh look at the manner in which our bureaucracy is recruited. sks_2@rediffmail.com

POLICE OFFICERS WILLINGLY BOW TO DEMANDS OF POLITICIANS IN RETURN OF PROTECTION FOR WRONGDOINGS AND SECURITY OF TENURE