Policing should be people-friendly

Recently a respectable family, a couple and their two teenaged sons, committed the 'grave crime' of finishing their dinner a few minutes past 11 pm at a restaurant in the Toli Chowki area of Hyderabad. Having been forced to ignominiously slip out of a service door by the terrified management, which had downed shutters well before the harshly enforced curfew, the group scurried to their car parked nearby.Unfortunately, round the corner they bumped into an overzealous police patrol which pelted out such filthy expletives that the otherwise belligerent father hastened to bundle his family into the car without a word of protest. The poor fellow had a tough time explaining the intricacies of law and order to his children on the way back home. He finally gave it all up when the youngsters, pointing to an upmarket eatery at Banjara Hills which was still receiving guests well past midnight, questioned such arbitrary enforcement of the law. In a rite of passage, the youngsters were initiated into the realities of life; learning first-hand about blatant stereotyping that has ravaged the city for the past many decades.
As children, a majority of Indians have heard bedtime stories extolling the greatness of past kings and emperors whose popularity arose primarily from their ability in providing safety and security for citizens. Sher Shah for example, constructed the Grand Trunk Road connecting Chittagong to Kabul; a feat sufficient in itself to secure for him a prominent position amidst India's greatest rulers. However, the fact that his administration also ensured the security of the masses was far more appealing to a grateful nation which immortalized his reign in folklore through claims that a woman, laden with gold from head to toe, could safely walk the highways in Sher Shah's kingdom, at any time of day or night. In the present times such an endeavor would be fraught with danger and a majority of the public would agree that the threat would not necessarily emanate from nefarious elements in society. Parametres governing distinction between criminals and protectors have blurred to such an extent that law abiding citizens are equally terrified of being accosted either by a policeman or a gangster.
The advent of central rule along with an assurance that the law and order apparatus of the city would be insulated from political interference for the coming decade has led to a belief amongst police ranks that they are now free from all democratic constraints. The night curfew these days is being enforced as early as 10 pm and although the police chief denies it vociferously, it is hard to imagine that the increased harassment of the public in the name of 'bandobast' is an initiative of the beat constable acting without authority.
The present policing system in India is a relic inherited from the British Raj. The centralized organization with its inherent anti-people and pro-administration bias proved an ideal tool of colonial suppression. In recent times there have been ever increasing protests against the continuation of these antiquated concepts. The chorus in favour of change to people-friendly policing has gained strength with a few concerned individuals from within the system itself now joining in. With a systemic overhaul becoming essential to arrest further degeneration, reversion to traditional Indian methods of policing which relied extensively on the participation of citizens seems to be the best option available. At Hyderabad it was the Mir-e-Mohalla, a respectable elder of the locality with impeccable character, whose opinion guided law enforcement ensuring against excesses. Today, area Mythri committees are dominated by anti-social elements who find it a convenient forum for furthering their own vested interests instead of discharging their duty of addressing community issues. No wonder that the police force these days is widely perceived as a draconic organ which takes pride in serving its political masters by subverting freedom and denying justice to the very people whom it is their bounden duty to serve.
Hyderabadi poet Sarvar Danda, who was renowned for his unmatched satire, once commented on the city police procedures while deriding the rule of Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Dande ki shayari mein, police ki dairy mein;
Na full stop na comma. Sanjeeva Reddy mama!
(In the poetry of Danda and in the police diary;
There is never a full stop or comma - O' Uncle Sanjeeva Reddy!)
Freedom from political interference, if capitalized judiciously, may as yet provide the much needed punctuation and in consequence it is hoped that the police manual will finally be revised to make some sense.
(The writer is a well know heritage activist)