Naxal Terror Watch

Incidents of assault do not evoke strong response from the govts of the day. They rather seek to interpret them as legitimate expressions of the people- RJ Khurana

Our police stations are unsafe. Sounds an oxymoron? Times have changed. Most concepts/theories true till yesterday stand on their head today. Thanks to the insurgencies, militancies, vote bank politics and a host of other similar phenomena, the law enforcers themselves are in need of protection.

For the last two decades there has been a phenomenal rise in the cases of assault on policemen and police stations. The state of J&K has seen numerous such assaults since the beginning of the militancy in the state in the year 1989. In the 7 Northeastern and 15 Naxal-infested States, the policemen have gone through similar if not more harrowing experiences. Armed Naxal attacks on the district jail in Jehanabad (Bihar), railway trains and railway stations in Jharkhand and Chattisgarh, police stations, outposts, convoys, vehicles and personnel in MP, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and a number of other affected states are too many to be detailed here. A large number of policemen lost their lives and were either wounded or kidnapped by the desperadoes. The policemen continue to be the victims because of infrastructural deficiencies, inferior weapons, poor security concerns and political shenanigans.

In any state worth its salt, the policemen and the police stations are the symbols of state authority. Any assault on them is assault on the authority of the state. The current steep rise in the number of attacks on the two is indicative of a precipitate deterioration in the law and order situation. While the successful attacks on police demoralize the citizenry, those successfully foiled, bolster their confidence.

During the British rule, all cases of assault on policemen/police stations were treated as Special Report Cases. These were registered and investigated promptly and the culprits awarded exemplary punishments. The entire state machinery used to spring into action to prevent any recurrence. The fear of the long arm of the law worked and kept the criminals firmly under check.

Things are different now. Incidents of assault do not evoke strong response from the governments of the day. They rather seek to interpret them as legitimate expressions of democratic aspirations of the people. It is done with greater vehemence if the culprits happen to belong to the party in power. There is little realization of the fact that such lame and biased justifications undercut the authority of the state.

If the state is interested in maintaining its authority, it is imperative that the security of the police stations is suitably strengthened and the policemen are provided infrastructure and wherewithal to deal with the law-breakers. The casualness that prevails with regard to the security of the police stations is alarming. Barring dacoit, militant and Naxal-infested districts, elsewhere the police stations are manned by a skeleton staff. At any given time there are seldom, if any, sentries on guard duty or some staff to screen the visitors.

At most police stations, the policemen are seen lounging here and there, at times in vests and underwears. The front and the rear courtyards and the sides remain unguarded. Anytime anyone could get in from any side. The concern for security is so poor that no one notices any one entering or leaving the police station. The state of readiness to meet an eventuality is zero or near zero. The reception rooms are deep inside where a solitary Head Constable sits pouring over the registers. The police station courtyards are full of confiscated vehicles. At night even in city police stations there are not more than 6 to 8 policemen available. Of them, one or two may be awake. A tour of the police stations of Bhopal City at night is enough to convince any one of the prevailing state of affairs. No wonder, the Police stations and policemen are sitting ducks for the criminals/terrorists.

The following incident reported recently illustrates the prevailing state of affairs. On the night intervening August 27/28, a vehicle thief in a police station lock up in Anand, Gujarat managed to come out. In his bid to escape he fatally hit an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police present there and escaped. No help was available at hand. With growing lawlessness, more such incidents should not surprise any one.

The administration has to get serious about the security of police stations and policemen. It should start augmenting the police station staff, introduce periodical refresher courses to keep them in a state of preparedness, improve facilities, supply equipment like close circuit cameras and scientific aids to investigations including location of dog squads, end political interference in investigations, strengthen supervision, reduce duty hours, fortify boundary walls, set up computerized Reception Centres manned by courteous staff, sensitize the police station staff about human rights, clear the police stations of the confiscated vehicles and give facelift to the shabby looking police stations. It is only when a safe, secure and business-like atmosphere prevails that the policemen and the police stations will be able to serve well. I’m not scaring the authorities. It is my considered assessment of the situation. It is better to forewarn and forearm than to repent when things spiral out of control.