Among Nishan projects is an initiative to spur on radical reforms in the Indian Police.
The Police in Indian states immediately needs to be demilitarised,decentralised ,restructured, retrained to function under the civilian oversight of local communities and meet the standrads of performance fixed by local citizen oversight bodies, on one hand it will inspire trust of local communities and on other hand it will lead to seek willing cooperation from local population. This process will remain full of challenges and opposition that is natural and normal to come from those who are currently enjoying the absolute powers of an authoritarian institution without any accountability at all, it will strip the Top Police leadership of its absolute powers and will make it perform, so the 1st institutional opposition will remain from the Top Police Leadership.
The Indian Police Service of post independent era has unfortunately not changed its structure to meet the operational requirements of a democracy. The criteria of expansion of police rank and file with proliferation into the posts of SP/SSP/DIGs/IGs/ADGS/DGs revolves around personal aggrandizement of self serving bureaucracy, that has no role, no responsibility & no accountability.
This ever-growing administrative tail of supervisory ranks who have no direct role and accountability in day today executive policing is taking its toll on the operational policing with absolute control over the front line police officers without any direct accountability and sole reason of endemic/organized corruption and criminalisation of police.
Though the police is a state subject but all India nature of its top higharchy that comprise of Indian Police Service officers provides it an opportunity to cut across state boundaries in stage managed encounters to eliminate suspects and reflect demonstrative police performance that gives rise to unintended consequences and retrograde to democratic values. Over a period of time it has evolved into a nexus of organized crime and violence, alinating people and given rise to new forms of threats to democratically elected governments in respective states.
The Propaganda of Police Reforms swept across India in 2006 with knee jerk reaction by the intervention of apex court of country with 7 directions to be implemented by the states. All these directions revolve around the appointment and better career prospectus of 0.13% of police personnel that comprises of Top Police leadership of Indian Police Service and in no way either enhances efficiency of front line police officers that constitute 99.87% of the police or effects the power structure of police organizations that is source of endemic corruption. The top cops affect the performance and command it, not due to any expertise or specialisation but due to power formation of administrative/disciplinary powers vested in these positions due to colonial laws.
The organizational accountability mechanism has completely failed for being too broad based and also compromised and sole reason of rampant corruption in the IPS leadership.
All the consultations on Police Reforms that lead to drafting of Model Police Act have remain confined to serving and retired IPS officers and few legal luminaries, resultantly it has had a very narrow view and did not address the real policing issues at all. The IPS officers who suggested these reforms have themselves remain far off from the real life policing and banked upon their superfluous knowledge and failed to visualize implementation strategies of the reforms being proposed by them, the outcome has proved an exercise in futility and set back to reforms process.
During our indepth interactions with front line police officers and supervisory IPS officers(serving & retired) what deductions we could draw is that upper echlon are not smarter than the lower. They just lucked out when it came to either money or family. While they have been educated, their performance is reflective of lack of education in not only criminal sciences but also lack of professionalism for want of field experience and aptitude combined with skills and leadership traits that make one into a professional police officer . Police in India, today need specialists and not diplomatic survivalists.
Police organizations in India(including state police and Central Police Organizations) have evolved into bureaucratic pyramidical structures reflective of military higharchy with infantry combatants training that goes against very principle of democratic policing. Operational objectives and very spirit of policing principles demand all the organizations to be flattened to make them performance oriented with empowerment and training of constabulary to meet the day today needs of the citizens in distress and to meet the local requirements of communities.
90% of the Police comprises of constabulary that forms up bedrock of police, whether it is prevention of crime as Patrol Officer or collection of information for intelligence inputs, crisis response to a citizen’s call or preserving evidence from scene of crime, It is the constable who happens to be the first responder to every situation inviting Police intervention but unfortunately its intake, training, career progression in entirety is marred due to unprofessional Top Police leadership that has been nosedeep in corruption.
Vibrant democracies like UK,USA,Australia & Newzealand have it mandatory for every police officer to start as Entry Level Police Officer(Constable) minimum for two years before they make it for graduate entry schemes that may lead them to occupy highest position in police structure after having acquired enough practical first hand field experience.
The performance of police in India will improve only with the improvement of constabulary/front line police officers by introducing structural changes to free the strangle hold of administrative authorities over them and by removing their special protection to make them accountable for their acts and omissions, distancing it from obedience and servility based regimental training that is being continued as the legacy of colonial India and its Imperial Police(IP) turned into IPS.
Police Reforms from Peoples’ Perspective-Public is Police (PRPP-PP)
This campaign is initiation of consultation process for dialogue from grass roots for police reforms from the peoples’ perspective and the perspective of of front line police officers in appreciation of local operational requirements with critical analysis of prevailent police regulations and policies that act as an impediment in the police performance and remain anti democratic in nature and promote authoriataive colonial work culture.
This campaign is also dedicated to dispel the popular perception among public about political interference into policing. The colonial model of policing doesn’t allow any interference into operational independence of Police Officers by the politicians, except the appointment of DGs/Commissioners of Police. All the posting transfers/disciplinary processes of front line police officers remain the prerogative of institutional police mechanism that has become prone to corruption.
The Police of post British India has evolved into Armed Militia with adoption of cosmetic changes into uniform, equipments on army pattern but lack of vision by police leadership has further distanced it from real time policing of contemporary society.
This campaign has been launched in the states of Haryana and Punjab and eventually being spread across the country in all the 28 states and 7 Union territories of India.
Police Reforms From Peoples’ Perspective-Public is Police.(Power to People)पुलिस के बुनियादी ढांचे की त्रुटियों के परिणामों का शिकार आम आदमी ही नहीं अपितु अपने विवेक से न्याय करने एवं सत्य के राह पर चलने वाला प्रतेक पुलिस अधिकारी इस ढांचागत खामियों का शिकार है / वर्तमान पुलिस ढाँचे में 86-90 %कांस्टेबुलरी तथा 12-13% सब इंस्पेक्टर एवं इंस्पेक्टर हैं जो की ३०-३५ वर्ष की सेवा और अनुभव के बावजूद एक अथवा दो पद प्राप्त कर रिटायर हो जाते हैं/ वर्तमान पुलिस ढांचे की 99.87% संख्या उपरोक्त वर्ग की है/ 0.13% IPS अधिकारी जो सम्पूर्ण महकमे की बागडोर सँभालते हैं तथा राजनेताओं के समक्ष केवल एक बिचोलिये एवं मीडिया के समक्ष केवल एक जन सम्पर्क अधिकारी की भुमका निभाते रहते हैं इनकी सेरेमोनियल कार्यशैली तथा ट्रेनिंग इन्हें वास्तविकता से कोसों दूर रखती है जिसका खामियाजा भुगतती है आम जनता तथा निचे वाले पुलिस अधिकारी अंग्रजों द्वारा पुलिस को कोर्ट के दायरे से भी ऊपर रखकर उस अपराधी वर्ग का निर्माण किया गया जिससे जनता को हिंसक ज्यादतियों द्वारा बलपूर्वक दबा कर रखा जा सके/ तथा इसके लिए फौजी ढाँचे, फौजी ट्रेनिंग एवं फौजी अनुसाशन, पर आधरित उस लोकल मिलिशिया को संगठित किया गया जो आम आदमी को भयभीत कर वसूली करने की नीतियों पर आधारित है /जिसका परिणाम है जनता की प्रजातांत्रिक अपेक्षाओं का वर्तमान पुलिस व्यव्य्स्था की कार्यशैली के साथ सीधे टकराव तथा इससे उत्प्प्न मुकदमेबाजी एवं हिंसा तथा पुलिस के प्रति जनता का अविश्वाश/
एक ओर अंग्रेजी कानून व्यवसथा एवं कार्यप्रणाली एक निरंकुश IPS श्रेणी को जन्म देती है जो केवल प्रसाशनिक एवं अनुसाशनात्म्क शक्तियों के आधार पर पुलिस महकमे को संचालित करती है वहीँ इस पूर्ण महकमे की कार्यक्षमता तथा इसके संगठित भ्रस्टाचार के लिए उसे जिम्मेदार ठहराने का कोई मापदंड नहीं है/ रोज़मर्रा की पुलिस किरियाकलापों में इस श्रेणी का अनुभव विहीन रोल बिना जवाबदेही का है जिसका खामियाजा भुगतते हैं उसके निचे वाले अग्रिम पंक्ति पुलिस अधिकारी / सर्वोच्च न्यायालय के दखल से आरम्भ किये गए पुलिस सुधार किसी भी रूप से 99.87% अग्रिम पंक्ति पुलिस वर्ग की कार्यक्षमता, कार्यकुशलता अथवा करियर को बढ़ावा नहीं देते तथा ना ही यह बढ़ावा देते हैं IPS श्रेणी की जवाबदेही को/सुधारों के लागू होने के बावजूद पुलिस विभाग संगठित भ्रस्टाचार, अपराधतथा नागरिकों की सुरक्षा आवश्यकताओं के प्रति उदासीनता में बद से बदतर होते जा रहे हैं /देश में प्रजातंत्र की सुरक्षा के लिए सर्वप्रथम ज़रूरी है प्रजातान्त्रिक अपेक्षाओं के मुताबिक पुलिस के पुन: प्रसिक्षण एवं कार्य कौशल के आधार पर सम्पूर्ण पुलिस विभाग के निम्न वर्गों में वर्गीकरण का १.पेट्रोल आफिसर २.इन्वेस्टीगेशन आफिसर ३.फोरेंसिक/टेक्निकल स्पेसिलिस्ट्स,४.रणनीतिक कमान ५.पॉलिसी मेकर्स. कांस्टेबल से लेकर कमिशनर/डीजीपी तक की योग्यता का पुनह परिक्षण कर इन्हें उक्त वर्गों में पुनर्गठित कर इनका वेतन योग्यता के मुताबिक निर्धारित किया जाये / जिससे की नागरिकों को प्रजातान्त्रिक मूल्यों पर योग्यता अनुसार खरा उतरने वाली एवं दक्षता पर आधरित पुलिस सेवा प्राप्त हो /
हमारे राजनेताओं के पास पुलिस में नीतिगत बदलावों के लिए स्वतंत्र क्षमता के अनुभव तथा ज्ञान की कमी है तथा वेह पूर्ण रूप पुलिस के अधिकारी वर्ग पर निर्भर हैं जो की अपनी शक्ति तथा अधिकारों के समाप्त होने के भय से पुलिस में प्रजातान्त्रिक बदलाव नहीं होने देना चाहते/ आवश्यकता है चुने हुए राजनितिक प्रतिनिधियों को पुलिस के नीतिगत मुद्दों से अवगत करवाकर समयबद्ध सीमा में असेन्यीकरण तथा विकेंद्रीकरण को विधिपूर्वक लागू करने की जिससे पुलिस महकमा अपने फौजी ढांचे से बदल कर अपनी प्रासंगिक प्रजातान्त्रिक भूमिका निभा सके/ इससे कांस्टेबल के पद पर भर्ती हुआ पुलिस अधिकारी ही अपनी कार्यकुशलता तथा अनुभव के आधार पर सर्वोच्च पद तक जा सकेगा तथा कार्य तथा निष्ठा के लिए सीधे तौर पर लोकल जनता को जवाबदेह होगा/Police Reforms from Peoples’ Perspective-Public is Police(PRPP-PP) शुरुआत है इस दूरगामी मुहीम की जो की न केवल आम जनता की तत्कालीन सुरक्षा जरूरतों को जानने एवं पूरा करने की प्रकिरिया का आरंभ है अपितु नीतिनिर्धारकों एवं जनता एवं अग्रिम पंक्ति पुलिस अधिकारीयों के बिच सीधे संवाद को आरंभ करेगी जिससे की फौजीपुलिस को संगठित प्रकिरिया द्वारा चरणबद्ध तरीके से प्रजातांत्रिक पुलिस बनाया जा सके
VETERANS SPEAK!
MR.B.N.KABU, INSPECTOR GENERAL(RETD.)POLICE MEDAL FOR GALLANTRY(BAR)
As a veteran of successful counter insurgency operations and decorated by Police Medal for gallantry at bar, the Police Medal for distinguished service, and the Police Medal for meritorious service, team Nishan were delighted to hear feedback from Mr. B. N Kabu. Mr Kabu, began his service carrier in the Indian Army at the age of 19 years in 1964 and retired from the Indian Border Security Force in the year 2003 after 39 years of distinguished service. As a one star General also he took an active part in urban operations, himself leading the strike teams during the storming of houses to neutralize the armed militants in the streets of Srinagar during mid nineties. In an interview with team Nishan on 08 November 2008, the former Inspector General was bit disappointed with the prevailing response of the Indian police to the increasing terrorist menace in the country as well as continuing police corruption as a concerned counter insurgency veteran he feels that corruption, lack of training and accountability among the police is a major impediment in India’s war against terrorism.
“Police Leadership In India has become completely secular”
Mr. H.P.Bhatanagar, Ex-DG BSF
Team Nishan corresponded with a former IPS officer from the 1954 batch from Rajasthan cadre. During his tenure as IG BSF at the Punjab frontier in the mid eighties he took an outright stand against fake encounters by Punjab Police and issued clear cut directions to BSF troops deployed on Internal Security Duty in the state of Punjab, to not to be party to use the illegal act of the fake encounters to eliminate suspected Sikh terrorists .
The former cop was very vocal on his stand against the policy of “Bullet for bullet” that had added further fuel to the fire. We questioned him as to why he was against encounter killings, was it his religious upbringing or something else? He shrugged his shoulders and smiled and gave his answer in very straight words “I knew my job very well and had complete belief on abilities and training of my men and wanted to do my own job of a Police officer, rather then usurping the role of judiciary, how can we as police officers become judges.” We try usurping these roles when we lack in our own professional competence and wish to demonstrate our performance of being effective. When asked him what did he mean by “Police leadership having become secular”, He had a hearty laugh and put it very softly” Secular means they all believe in only one religion and that is religion of money. All your problems are due to this root cause.
Punjab Police-Injustice with Impunity-Indian Police Service
In an unprecedented development, two sub inspectors posted in the intelligence wing of Punjab Police tendered their resignations which have now been accepted This is the latest example of the disharmony created by Punjab Police within their ranks through the issue of out of turn promotions. Both Rajinder Singh and Kamaljeet Singh are science graduates who have in their view been subjected to a blatant violation of the rules when, despite their 20 years of service and adequate training they have been overlooked promotion in favour of much junior officers.
S.I.Kamaljeet Singh and S.I.Rajinder Singh, who were posted with intelligence wing of the state police expressed their disagreement with the corruption in the form of out of turn promotions.
Both the crusaders had joined Punjab Police service in the year 1989 as Assistant Sub Inspectors and currently hold the post of Sub Inspectors but people who were enrolled as constables have been promoted out of turn to the ranks of inspectors with complete disregard to merit and length of service.
Team Nishan has taken up the issue and expresses complete solidarity against this injustice and working out a strategy to make it part of PRPP campaign.