Kaushik embarks upon cleansing drive

AHMEDABAD: After the police faced severe public criticism for their rather callous approach to the Bijal Joshi rape and suicide case, police commissioner KR Kaushik has embarked upon a cleansing drive. Kaushik, who plans to wipe the image of policemen clean, is presently concentrating on changing the policeman''s approach and attitude.
This "introspection" is fuelled by Bijal Joshi case, investigations into which had pointed a finger at six policemen, including inspector of Shahibaug police station DR Raol, holding them responsible for callous behaviour and negligent attitude towards investigation of the case."If some of the police officers (who had initially handled the case) had behaved properly with the complainants, we could have avoided a lot of hitches. Some of the guilty have been punished, while some more would be taken to task," admitted Kaushik.
"But now, my focus is to bring about a change in the attitude of all policemen. This is not a task that can be completed overnight, but we are trying," Kaushik said of the latest task at hand. Meanwhile, the role of authorities in Delhi''s Millennium Hospital (in whose ICU Sajal had been holed up without any valid reason) and Ahmedabad''s Civil Hospital (which kept Bijal waiting for 11 hours before conducting a medical examination) are also being minutely investigated. The rule is that medical tests should be carried out within six hours of the rape.
Sources said the role of two senior officers — of the rank of SP and a DySP — are under cloud. While the SP is accused of not speeding up investigation in the case, the junior officer is accused of allowing the prime accused Sajal Jain to talk with reporters of a TV channel that recently telecast a story focusing on Bijal''s ''character'' and the various phone calls she made.
Jain, who is still in police custody, had apparantly spoken to the TV reporter over a mobilephone. A senior police official quipped: "The guilty officers would soon be weeded out."