The Kerala police were the most sensitised to the rights of those arrested while that of Jharkhand and Gujarat the least.
A study on the status of policing in India, released on March 26, 2025, has found that a significant proportion of police personnel justify the use of torture and violence in the course of their duties, and also believe that they should be allowed to use force without any fear of punishment.
The study found the Kerala police to be the most sensitised to the rights of those arrested while that of Jharkhand and Gujarat the least.
Police personnel from Gujarat (57 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (51 per cent), Maharashtra (50 per cent), Tamil Nadu (46 per cent), and Odisha (42 per cent) said mob violence against suspected perpetrators of crimes was 'justified to a great extent'.
Those from Kerala (0 per cent), Nagaland and West Bengal (2 per cent each), Punjab (3 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (4 per cent), and Delhi (10 per cent) were least likely to defend mob violence, the study found.
The Status of Policing in India Report 2025: Police Torture and (Un)Accountability, conducted by Common Cause, an advocacy group, in collaboration with the Lokniti Programme of Delhi-based think-tank Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), surveyed 8,276 police personnel of various ranks, at 82 locations across 17 states and Union Territories.
Some of the key findings of the study highlighted the significant 'disregard for the Rule of Law' among the police forces across the country.
It found that 20 per cent of the police personnel feel that it is 'very important' for them to use tough methods to create fear among the public, and another 35 per cent think it is 'somewhat important'.
It found that one in four police personnel strongly justifies mob violence in cases of sexual harassment (27 per cent) and child lifting/kidnapping (25 per cent).
'This suggests that about a fourth of India's police personnel support the idea of mobs acting as the judge, jury and executioner in matters they consider grave,' the study noted.
According to the survey, 22 per cent police personnel believe that killing 'dangerous criminals' is better than giving them a legal trial.
More experienced and upper subordinate officers are relatively less likely to agree with the statement, it said.
The Status of Policing in India, the authors said, explores the nature, causes and factors that contribute to the perpetuation of police violence and torture in India.
It is a first-of-its-kind study in seeking to understand the police's attitudes towards torture and the normalisation of its use, the authors said.
The study found that police personnel overwhelmingly believe that in order to properly fulfil their responsibilities, they should be allowed to use force without any fear of punishment.
Of those interviewed, 26 per cent 'strongly agreed' and 45 per cent 'somewhat agreed' with this, while 11 per cent 'strongly disagreed' and 13 per cent 'somewhat disagreed'.
Overall, 41 per cent police personnel said that arrest procedures are 'always' adhered to, while 24 per cent said that they are 'rarely or never' adhered to.
Kerala reported the highest compliance (94 per cent said 'always'), while Jharkhand reported the poorest compliance (8 per cent said 'always').
According to the study, 30 per cent of police personnel said that 'third-degree methods' on the accused are justified in serious criminal cases.
Nine per cent said they are justified in petty offences.
Eleven per cent felt that hitting/slapping family members of the accused was absolutely justified, and 30 per cent said that it was sometimes justified.
'Interviewees said that the victims of torture are mainly people from poor and marginalised communities,' the study said, adding that groups common targets of torture are Muslims, Dalits, tribals, people who cannot read and write, and slum-dwellers.
The study also noted that there were discrepancies in the reporting of custodial death cases across various data sources.
For instance, in the year 2020, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported 76 cases, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reported 90 cases, while the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT), a civil society initiative, documented111 cases of custodial deaths.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
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