Of crimes and the State police : Bouquets amid brickbats
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 17, 2012 -
The dismantled house of the accused and the accused with the police on April 15 2012 - Pix :: TSE
Brickbats, yes this what they have been receiving for years and for good reasons, but now and then, they do come up with some laudatory efforts and surely some bouquets are in line.
The quick response to the situation and the manner in which Bishnupur police got their act together and rounded up four accused in the gang rape of a housewife on March 22 within a span of 24 hours is something which shattered, to a certain extent, the badge of inefficiency made worse by arrogance, worn and flaunted with non-chalance by the men in khakis down the years.
Thoubal police followed shortly later, nabbing the main accused in the murder of a woman at Kakching Mahadeva hills on April 15, after the charred remains of the woman was found on April 9.
Not bad going for a police force, which has come to be identified with corruption, arrogance, trigger happy-in fact some sort of a killing machine-and it is significant to note that the quick and effective response of the police somewhat coincided with the pronouncement of the new Home Minister that his first priority would be to refurbish the image of the State police.
The last time the police managed to crack a case dates many years and this concerned the murder of a police personnel widely known as SI Kumar whose decomposed body was later found buried deep in the ground.
This happened sometime in the middle part of the last decade and in all these years the State police fumbled from one case to the other, starting from the kidnapping and murder of school girl Lungnila Elizabeth, the kidnapping and murder of Hrinii Hubert and Muheni Martin and in the process became synonymous with not only inefficiency but arrogance as well.
The swift response by Thoubal police and Bishnupur police then may be seen as something which came against the tide and while it would be premature to even harbour the thought that the State police have taken the first right step towards a new identity, acknowledging the good work done is definitely in line.
This however is not to say that the police have finished with their task. It remains to be seen how effectively they frame the charge sheets.
Framing the charge sheets is the key to whether the culprits get their due or not. And if acknowledging the good work is in line then it also stands true that some reminders be issued.
So far there is not a hint that the police are anywhere near cracking the case of the murder or burning to death of two handymen inside a parked bus at Keishampat some time back.
There are also no signs to indicate that the cops have been told to behave as they move around on their fancy motorbikes in the heart of Imphal or break traffic rules with impunity.
Arrogance continue to sit comfortably on their visage and the uniform they wear. Where exactly the men in khakis stand in the eyes of the public can be gauged from the fact that far from instilling a sense of security among the people, their very presence is more likely to send the public scurrying for cover.
This is a point which the new Home Minister and the top brass of the State police should consider with the merit it deserves for after all, the image of the law keepers does not rest solely on their ability to crack cases and how they haul up criminals but in their interaction with the common people too.
Top to bottom approach is what we had advocated and we stand by this.
If the quick response of the cops in Thoubal and Bishnupur can be ascribed to the type of leadership that is provided then it also stands equally true that the arrogance associated with the men in khakis can be ascribed to the manner in which the top brass behave with the people.
No doubt the manner in which Bishnupur police and Thoubal police responded to the situation at hand is laudatory but lest they be lulled into a sense of complacency, this should be taken as the exception and much more need to be done to do justice to the uniform they wear.
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