Few months back, I happen to visit the Manipur Riffles Training Centre at Pangei to meet a cousin. I never knew that our police personnel had to undergo such a strenuous training session before finally donning the Khaki. From dawn to dusk, either under scorching summer heat or torrential rains, there's no question of a let-up.

The training has to keep going. One very important aspect of the training session was a special lesson imparted on 'law' and 'morality'. Smoking, drinking or use of any intoxicants could invoke the severest degree of punishment. Discipline and order is maintained strictly…all right under the strict tutelage of the trainers. It gives an immense reason to take pride in the fact that these disciplined policemen would soon come to assist the civil society.

Once out of the barracks, it's a new breather of life. The following moments were to witness an ordeal of their freedom unleashed. All through their arduous, painful and intensive training, they have longed for this sweet moment. Now donning the police costumes and wielding the most sophisticated weapon, these excited policemen are tempted to believe that law is in their hands.

Manipur is known as the hotbed of insurgency. Nearly 15 insurgent groups are believed to be operating in the State, with most of their bastions/bases located in the valley. So, due to the nature and demand of the situation and reasons pertaining to security perception, the Capital Imphal areas are concentrated with hordes of tough policemen in addition to paramilitary forces and army.

To a immeasurable extent, the Manipur Rifles and Police have scripted a history of sort by almost wiping out insurgency in insurgency-infested Manipur. All this far, they have dealt the UGs with an iron hand, employing some of the extreme techniques and toughest tactical approach. They have earned much accolades for their brave deeds and prowess and tactfulness during encounters and C.I. operations.

They're known for leading from the front. It would be just unthinkable for the security forces alone to crack down on the UG network in the state. The Commandos specially are known for adopting clever manoeuvre moves while dealing with insurgents.

Nevertheless, there would be hardly any child in Manipur who doesn't know about the elite and famous Manipur Police Commandos. They live so vividly in the memories of every child. Not for the gallant feats they achieve during encounters & C.I. operations but for the semblance to the face of terror. A star-studded Police Officer, who until yesterday was every child's dream no longer remain their role models, their idols.

Till yesterday, every school kid wanted to become the likes of Romen Kumar Singh, IPS, once termed India's most decorated police officer. Any no nonsense person could obviously tell the reason for this sharp reversal, shift and transition of a child's choice and fantasy. Today, the police simply have become an object of fear and terror.

Gone were the days when every mother wanted to marry off their daughters to boys whose names are found in the Commando's pay-list. They were showered with heaps of praises and hospitality and admiration until one day, their 'high-handedness' formed the darkest patch, biggest blot in their good record book. Yes 'high-handedness'.

Ask any bystander along the Imphal city about his impression of the men in Khaki. Each of them would vividly recount instances of 'high-handedness' and 'street-smart' behaviour of our police.

Chosen, trained and called to duty to assist and protect the civil society, they are often found wrongly flexing muscle upon the innocent civilians. We may never be found wanting for the instances of police 'high-handedness' and acts of callousness. Not at least in Manipur. We are already starting to expect a section of our society who will soon rise up against our own police setup.

They are the innocent victims of arbitrary and inhuman police actions. Just how many youths of one locality are thrashed, gun-butted, molested and terrorized in search of one fugitive insurgent? Just how many mothers have seen their innocent sons beaten to death for mere reason of suspect and mistaken identity?

Just how many sweet and sound sleeps of our children have been woken up by horrific sound of gun-battles? Just how long will the many dreams of our youngsters be roped, plucked from its bud? Just how many precious lives have been lost in cross-firing?

What an uneasy Manipur! What an insecurity! Just too many reasons for the innocent citizens to bow down before them; not for respect but for fear.

People talk of terrorists and terrorism. It is really difficult to differentiate who are the real 'terrorists' in Manipur. The insurgents who are fighting against the Govt. forces? Or the state police who go about inciting fear psychosis and inflicting terror in the minds of the innocent civilians. They dubiously call themselves the guardian of law and defender of the defenceless. The ordeal must end there. Lest the situation be misread as military junta.

For a state where insurgents rule the roost, it becomes a pre-requisite for the state machinery to act. Thus it becomes a pre-rogative for our police to conduct search operations and even combing operations. Once they take orders, they tend to take the law in their hands, forgetting the most important aspect of their duty. Respect for humanity.

Many a times, even the innocent and helpless children, old and aged and women become victims of their heartlessness and atrocities. This is not in the exclusion of the fear psychosis they unleash on the innocent civilians. Without any respect for one's personal freedom, they go about grilling everybody, labelling any nervous and frightened people as 'suspects'.

They adopt this terror tactics because they believe they can hammer out the truth, at least some vital facts about the person. So going by that parameter, anyone who stammer and shiver in fear have the strong point of being thrashed, boxed and gun-butted and land in Police stations.

In Manipur, it is a common fact that once a person land up in Police station, whether he's right or wrong, the release order is not passed until one is bashed up black and blue. It is little known whether our policemen ever watch police videos of the highly disciplined Police Depts. in US, UK and European countries where even the most dreaded killers, absconders and terrorist have their rights to be arrested decently.

Unless prompted, they never use such terror tactics as adopted by the Manipur commandos. Our commandos cannot just go about doing what Israel Police do to a rebellious Palestinians.

Manipur is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society. Thus, we have a major junk of our state population especially the tribals living in the hills districts who have problem communicating with the Manipuri. Whenever they are waylaid, frisked and interrogated, their simple ignorance of the dialect and stammering is taken as a suspicious indication, thus ending up getting nice bashings from the smart commandos.

The morality of our police forces have many a times being brought under the scanner of doubt. There have been instances where many innocent and defenceless women are made victims of molestation. Our women just dare not pass through the policemen on duty alone as they're known for eve-teasing which are often accompanied for offensive, vulgar, indecent and provocative comments.

Third degree torture, leading to custodial deaths have become a common thing and on rise. High handedness of our Police have once again exposed some months back when the security guards of a high ranking police officer beat up mercilessly a pharmacist, prompting a huge commotion.

There is not a single passed away in Manipur without instances of the infamous personnel of the Commandos, the IRBs, the MRs and Manipur Police swooping down on the innocent population for mere and unwarranted reasons. Occasionally, they themselves bear the brunt of their own brutality.

Recently, there was an uproar over the third degree torture of a trainee by its trainer. Few years back, even our revered super cop Romen Kumar Singh, IPS was involved in beating to death an NCO. The super cop was accordingly suspended.

So when even our most respected IPS officer could show such low-profile example of 'might is right', where do the fate of the innocent people stand? Leave at the mercy of 'kick-happy' Commando Karate students and 'boxers'? Definitely, such sub-standard policy and technique is no more applicable in our modern times.

Those special classes on 'Law' and 'Morality' during training seem to be made for the training period only. They seem to know nothing about the law of the land nor morality. If a day were to dawn when corruption is wiped off totally from our society, it would have been a tormenting life for the Manipur policemen.

One wonders why inspite of their decent salary, our cops are so obsessed with money and women. Come evening, its one sweet moment where they can make their purse little thicker, going about collecting money from vendor to vendor.

A simpleton was right when he thought and thought and finally comes up with a brilliant answer that the money the police collect each time from hotels and eateries were neither Govt. tax nor fines. So what if the hotel owners refuse to pay? Land up in Police Thana along with everyone present in the hotel.

To avoid being dragged to Thana for fear of the consequences, one has to part dearly for a hefty amount. People talk of the menace of corruption and ways of putting a halt to its conflagration. But can we even think of stopping this inferno of corruption from further proliferation if our police who are suppose to nab and nail corrupted people go about being the backbone it? Can we trust the men on top when its periphery itself is found rotting?

Surely, our police setup starting from a rifleman to the top echelons of police rank and file symbolizes the face of a demoralized force. They have been found lacking just too much of civic sense, moral values and ethics. Time and again, we have seen that they have little or no respect for human dignity, women and children.

More than just the job, uniform, prestige and decent salary, our policemen definitely need to indoctrinate in themselves respect for human values.

And yes, a certain level of decency.