Home minister wants states to reform police

George Iype in New Delhi

Indrajit Gupta, India's first Communist home minister, has embarked on a major mission -- to reform and restructure the police force in the country.

Saying that "the police is an appendage of the ruling group rather than being the protector of the life and property of the common people," Gupta has written to the chief ministers of all states and Union territories to set up a state police control authority in each state.

"Low level of discipline in the police force has resulted in poor quality of investigation of cases and malpractices and corruption have led to popular distrust against the police personnel," the home minister's letter says.

Gupta's note on "police reforms and re-structuring" mounts a scathing attack on the integrity, professionalism and partisan attitudes of police forces across the country. There is "total disruption of the command structure of the police in states, especially at the level of state police chiefs, city police commissioners and district police superintendents," it says.

"There is a yearning in the nation for an upright police force, whose probity and fairness are beyond reproach, that can be relied upon to protect the rights of the citizens of India," states the letter.

The minister says constitution of the SPCA could be one of the best possible remedies to save the police force from the maladies that afflict them today.

The SPCA should be composed of the chief minister, the home minister, two members of the legislative assembly (one from the ruling party and one from the Opposition) and four more members who could be retired judges, civil servants or reputed social scientists. The state police chief could be the authority's ex-officio secretary.

The home minister's note states that the SPCA should lay down broad policy guidelines and directions for the performance of preventive tasks and service-oriented functions by the police.

While it could evaluate the state police's performance every year and present a report to the state legislature, Gupta wants the SPCA to ensure lawful discharge of functioning by the police in a more objective and transparent manner without any suspicion of political interference.

Moreover, Gupta has sought the state governments's suggestions on replacing the existing Police Act, 1861 with a new act. "The Police Act, 1861 was meant for sub-serving the interests of the colonial rulers and it is of no use and relevance to the present India," his note says.

Quoting expert studies, the minister's message says no major change in the attitude and behavioural pattern and performance of the police can be expected without making it more officer-oriented rather than constabulary.

A recent home ministry survey estimates that India has a police strength of nearly 905,000 officers and men. But more than 800,000 (87.16 per cent of the total police force) consist of head constables and constables.

Therefore, Gupta wants the state governments to gradually promote a sizeable segment of the existing constabulary to officer-level posts like inspectors and assistant inspectors. "This will lead to a substantial boost in the morale of the existing subordinate ranks," he observes.

Noting that a police force which is over-worked and ill-equipped creates only popular distrust, the minister states that "an efficient, honest police force is the principal bulwark of the nation against violations of human rights."

Inviting suggestions and recommendations from the chief ministers and state police chiefs on the mode of reforms that should be launched to reinvigorate the police force, he says, "Let us rise above our limited perceptions to bring about some drastic changes in the shape of reforms and restructuring of the police before we are overtaken by the unhealthy developments which appear to have been taking place all over the country."

"Let us break out of our colonial system of policing and bring about changes in consonance with the developments which have taken place during the last 50 years in the administration of criminal justice in general and police functioning and practices in particular," Gupta's letter concludes.