PUCL Bulletin,
April 2003
Jharkhand
police demand reforms
-- S. Bhattacharjee, President, Jharkhand State PUCL
February 26, 2003
Jharkhand police persons have launched a state-wide agitation under the
banner of Jharkhand Policemen's Association (JPMA) to press their demands.
These demands most of which are reasonable, remained unheeded by the Government
for years. This compelled the policemen to resort to an agitation in the
form of mass casual leave.
The police forces from the British Rule or even before that, had always
been used by the Rulers and the high-ups to suppress the democratic rights
and aspirations of the common men. The history of the police Administration
is one of torture, repression and of implicating the innocent in false
cases, killing by fake encounters and taking sides of the mafias, corrupt
politicians and anti-social and such other powerful elements by protecting
their interests and the illegal practices. All the police Stations are
engaged in making huge collections by illicit and improper way, day after
day. The most of the policemen in the lower ranks have always been used
to perform as an instrument to all these nefarious and anti people exercises,
which are no less a crime.
The Government knowing that it cannot bring about any changes or reforms
in the system, to give to the people where the law demands, has been enacting,
from time to time, innumerable Acts which are anti-people and against
the tenets of Human Rights, the latest being "POTA". The public
has experienced enough of the misuse and abuse of TADA, MIS A and now
POTA. Now, the Government is threatening to cripple their own policemen
under ESMA. It is disturbing that the Government has already began taking
vindictive action and measures against some of the office bearers of the
JPMA. Such actions will not lead to any rational solutions to the existing
impasse and malaise. Such irrational attitude may aggravate the situation
and the aggrieved policemen may turn belligerent.
PUCL appeals to the Government to consider the demands of the policemen
in the light of reason and to form different groups of policemen - one
group trained for maintenance of law and order and the other for investigation
of crimes. We also urge the agitating policemen to understand that they
too come from the same society of the common people and, therefore, they
cannot ignore the sufferings of the people. The corrupt machine functioning
to loot public money, has become a wide known fact. They should refuse
to become a tool in the hands of high-ups and the corrupt tops and cease
to act as oppressors of the Society.
PUCL hopes that saner counsel would prevail and the policemen and the
authorities will change for better to have a human face to win the trust
and respect of the general public. All disputes, we believe, can be resolved
by peaceful negotiations and mutual understanding held in a cordial atmosphere.