Expect a ‘Shriman’, ‘Mahoday’ address from police

AURANGABAD: City police chief Yashasvi Yadav has decided to ensure that cops are courteous when they come knocking on the doors during combing operations.
In an order issued recently, the top cop has made it mandatory for the police to address citizens as ‘Shriman’ or ‘Mahoday’ during the all-out combing operations. The city police have been successfully carried out twice in the past one week alone.The order, however, does not state about how to greet women.
Directives have also been issued for video recording of each and every action, checking and frisking done by the police during the combing operation. The recording has to film how the citizens are being greeted. The standard greeting pattern would also be strictly implemented at the police stations across the city.
“The police should greet any citizen they come across as Shriman or Mahoday. We have made this mandatory for the police officers and their subordinates participating in the all-out combing operations. We will soon implement the same at the police station level also,” he said.
When asked about the order not mentioning anything about how to greet women, Yadav said the order is “general in nature. Any standard respectful greeting would do.”
The officer said the respectful greeting would not only bring down chances of public and police friction, but will also improve the image of the police among citizens. “In most cases, the friction between police and the citizen starts over one of them speaking in an arrogant manner. Instead of asking the people to speak courteously with the police, we have decided to make our men speak courteously,” he said.
Citizens said the change in attitude would go a long way in people think about police. “I have had a personal experience of traffic policemen speaking very arrogantly. Hope the new order implies to the traffic police too. If it is implemented in letter and spirit, it will act as a image booster for them,” said Vikas Patil, an engineering student. Mohammed Ismail, a trader, felt that the order would tone down some of the most arrogant policemen. “If implemented properly, it should deliver drastic results,” he said.
After some senior police officers expressed their apprehension over some people, especially political activists behaving arrogantly with them, the top cop asked them to register an offence under section 353 of IPC without getting into any kind of argument or fracas.
Yadav said, “Nowadays, every person is carrying a cellphone with camera. If the police bash up arrogant or miscreants publicly, then these may get recorded and maybe used for tarnishing the image of the police. The best way is to register an offence under section 353 of IPC and arrest such suspects without any delay.”
Lawyer Sachin Sarda said that policemen usually do not hurt people with their sticks, as much as they hurt with their tongues and by framing people in false cases.
The change in attitude was a step to move away from the image of the British era police, felt socialist Subhash Lomte.