HC to state govt: Do cops get psychological training?

LUCKNOW : The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Wednesday asked the state government as to whether psychological training was provided to police personnel at the time of their recruitment and thereafter periodically.

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Wednesday asked the state government as to whether psychological training was provided to police personnel at the time of their recruitment and thereafter periodically.

The court raised this question while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed in connection with Apple executive Vivek Tiwari’s murder.

The court provided time to additional advocate general (AAG) Vinod Kumar Shahi, who appeared for the state, to seek instructions from the state government and the director general of police in this regard and place a response before the court on October 23.

A division bench of justice Devendra Kumar Arora and justice Rajan Roy passed the order on a PIL petition filed by one Lokesh Kumar Khurana.

The petitioner sought directions from the court to issue guidelines and asked the central and state governments to take appropriate measures to ensure that an incident like the Vivek Tiwari murder did not recur and there were no human rights violation against any innocent person in the state.

The petitioner also sought a direction from the court for an appropriate order to fix the accountability of senior police officers and administrative authorities in the Vivek Tiwari murder case.

The petitioner alleged that some UP police personnel murdered an innocent person (Vivek Tiwari) on the pretext that he did not stop his car.

Instead of helping the victim

in such a time of distress, UP police seemed to trying to shield the accused by showing him as injured, he added.

The petitioner submitted there was precious little that could be achieved by alteration of investigation agency in the present matter.

On behalf of the state government, Shahi, along with chief standing counsel Shree Prakash Singh, and standing counsel QH Rizvi opposed the petition and said that the state had taken quick action in the murder case and proper arrangements were being made to train the police personnel, especially constables in the state, to stop recurrence of such incidents.

The state counsels contended that the PIL was not maintainable and liable to be dismissed.

Listing the PIL on October 23, the court provided time to the AAG to seek instructions from the state government and the director general of police with regard to the psychological training of police personnel, Shahi said.

MANOJ KUMAR SINGH