Diktats of law makers

Recent incidents involving police directly or indirectly in Uttar Pradesh, highlight how the police force in the state has come to symbolise politicisation of the force. That does not augur well for the impartiality that is expected of the police. The police is responsible for the enforcement of the law of the land and is described as the long arm of the law. Without an efficient and reliable police, the law cannot be enforced. In India, the police chiefs of different states and the police commissioners of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, report to the ministers in charge of the Home Department of those states. In Delhi, the commissioner reports to the Lieutenant Governor, who in turn reports to the Union Home Minister. Over the years, any ruling party’s dependency on not just the police, but also the entire bureaucracy, to govern in general, corner the opposition, and suppress dissent has basically emboldened law enforcers. The ruling political class has come to increasingly rely on our law enforcers, rather than on their own strength that stems from public support and political currency. The need to ensure that the police is insulated from political pressure has been identified many decades back and for which there has been several committees on police reforms. The first ever police reform in India was the Police Act, 1861, legislated by the British in the aftermath of the Mutiny of 1857 or the First War of Independence. The British, naturally at that time wanted to establish a police force that would suit the purpose of crushing dissent and any movement for self government. Thus, despite various recommendations for police reform, the fact is that when it comes to allowing the police force to act with strict compliance of the rule of law where there is no consideration for those in power, the situation in India over the years how various governments assumed power and used the police for their own interests. The situation has reached a point where it has become difficult to find a government that used the police primarily in the interest of public service, instead of to serve the interests of the ruling government and the ruling party. Politicisation of police is detrimental to democracy and damages the basic structure of governance. Former DGP of Punjab and also Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Ribiero had observed that the Delhi Police were extremely tolerant of the antics of the right-wing Hindutva students and very hard on the left-wing unions. That is not how a police force should approach law and order situations. This, in spite of the views of the Allahabad High Court and assorted High Courts outside UP. Political parties especially in UP have discovered a key element to power. In this, the politicians realise that they have become alienated from voters but have discovered easier ways to win elections – using the administration and law enforcement agencies. Law enforcers know how the lawmakers have been elected, and how strong they are. But the ruling government, perhaps in order to ensure the subservience and obedience of the law enforcement agencies and bureaucracy, has been on a spree to politicise them, sometimes enthusiastically recruiting party cadres and sympathisers. This is why the criminal justice system has failed and resulted in the politicisation of police.