Police Accountability Authority

The government has never done anything adequate for the police, says DG and IGP R Sri Kumar. He expressed displeasure over how police reform recommendations have been gathering dust for decades.

“When the British created a police force in India, they wanted to control the people through the force. In England, it was a democratic police set-up. India is still following the 1861 Police Act, which says police are agents of the government,” Sri Kumar explained at an interactive session with members of Bangalore Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCIC) on Monday. He reminded the participants that the Dharamveer Committee report on police reforms was still on paper.
    
“When I started my career, I thought police reforms will happen in a few years. I will retire next month, and the recommendations are yet to be implemented.” According to him, spending on policing is less than 90 paise per capita a day. “Now, the government is ready to spend and the police must make good use of the funds,” he said.

Bangalore is vulnerable: Sri Kumar admitted Bangalore is vulnerable to a Mumbai-like terror attacks. “In 2000, Anjuman bombed churches and then the IISc attack came. We should restrict privileges of people to some extent.”

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Mr Prakash Singh, IPS (retd), the former DIG of Police from MP, whose PIL led to the Supreme Court ordering the setting up of a committee to advice on the course of 'Police Reforms', out of which came the Soli Sorabjee Committee report, had made a positive reference to the 'new Karnataka Police Act' draft, in an article published in the New Indian Express, over a month back.

In view of the new developments, the passing of this Act, and faithful and immediate implementation of rules thereunder, has gained great significance. However, nothing has been heard from the state home ministry in the matter. The fear now is that this draft may also just get shelved like so many before it.
 

Muralidhar Rao

'The reluctant fundamentalist' could just as well be a description of the Oxford Bookstore in Mumbai's Churchgate area as the title of last year's Booker-nominated novel by Pakistan-born author Mohsin Hamid.

The store has taken books by Pakistani authors off its shelves following "friendly advice" from police. The store was asked to take precautions in the light of Raj Thackeray's "ban" on Pakistani artists, the same Raj Thackeray who was conspicuous by his absence anywhere on the political scene for over a month after 26/11.

Store manager Girish Thakur said, "Ten days ago, a policeman from the Marine Drive police station dropped in at our store and told us to be careful. He advised us to remove books and CDs related to Pakistan, as we may be targeted after the recent terror strikes in Mumbai. He reminded us of Raj Thackeray's ban on Pakistani artists".

Thakur says he is opposed to banning books, whatever the reason. "People who love books should be allowed the freedom to read literature from across the world so that they get different perspectives on an issue," he said. He added that the books would be back on the shelves once he was assured he could.

For more, click on:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai_bookstore_pulls_Pak_writers_off_its_shelves/articleshow/3932647.cms

Muralidhar Rao

According to an officer, also a member of the board, the government has issued a circular to all government departments to finalise the transfer of officials before June 30. Following this, the board began the transfer process and brought out the list of 64 DySPs. “However, the same government is giving some ‘political’ reason and has stayed the order. The board was started according to the Supreme Court’s strictures and the government is now not obeying it,” he said.

In June 2009, the state Cabinet gave its nod to setting up a PEB to decide on transfers, postings, promotions and other service-related matters of police officers of or below the rank of DSP. When the Justice Thomas Committee visited Bangalore, the home minister and other officials had assured that the government would set up the board, free of political influences, said an officer.

For the full report in the New Indian Express, click here

Back to its bad old ways, I guess.

 

Victims of police brutality can now lodge a complaint for any grievances like misconduct, arrest or detention without due process of law, custodial death and abuse of power to the newly formed Karnataka Police Complaints Authority (KPCA). - - - Apart from Justice MP Chinnappa, former judge of the high court, who is chairperson of KPCA, the other members are IGP (grievances and human rights) Alok Kumar, retired IAS officer Abhay Prakash and IPS officer Malini Krishnamurthy. "We are in the process of identifying a member from the civil society,'' Justice Chinappa said.

Any citizen can file a complaint with KPCA by post or at its office (room No 36/37) in Vikasa Soudha. KPCA will come out with its email ID.

The Supreme Court in 2006 had directed all states to establish KPCA in all states. But the Karnataka government acted on it three years later by appointing RJ Babu, retired judge of the high court, as its chairperson on September 7, 2009. But the KPCA did not become functional because of legal and technical reasons.

To remove such hurdles, the government in June 2012 issued an ordinance amending the Karnataka Police Act, thus incorporating the provision for constitution of the KPCA, and in August 2012, the ordinance was replaced with an act, Section 20 (C) of which deals with detailed provision for setting up of PCA and DPCAs.

"Our job is not only to inquire into complaints of serious misconduct against police personnel received from a victim but also those by the state and national human rights commission. If the officers are found to be guilty we will communicate the findings to the police commissioner or the district superintendent of police with a recommendation to register an FIR and initiate departmental action,'' Justice Chinnappa said.

For the full report in the ToI, click here.

Finally, the government seems to have got its act together in the matter - better late than never. The talk all along has been about a "Police Accountability Authority". I presume it's only a change in nomenclature.

A question that arises here is that, when a body of such high-ranking officials is constituted, shouldn't it be entrusted with more responsibilities than merely attending to complaints, particularly when there is besides the KSHRC (Karnataka State Human Rights Commission) supposedly doing an almost similar job? Any and everyone will concede that there are many things wrong with the policing in the state. As such, cannot this august body play a more proactive role to addresss the various issues involved?