The arrest of Saji Mohan by police officers, while writing another shameful episode in the history of the IPS ironically also holds out a ray of hope. It is that we in the police will make an honest effort to identify and weed out the black sheep amongst us and in doing so we will try and hold the police to a somewhat higher standard of accountability. Corrupt MPs may hide behind parliamentary privilege, corrupt judges may be shielded by impossible contempt laws and impeachment provisions, corrupt bureaucrats may get political and legal protection through denial of prosecution sanction and the single directive, but we will refuse to let our profession be dragged down to the least common denominator of the rampant abuse of public trust and legal authority. To that extent it is a matter of pride that the activities of a rogue police officer were exposed by other police officers who were not prepared to look the other way even if it meant in the short run bringing a bad name to their uniform. This cleaning of the Augean stables is indeed painful but it is a vital part of constantly renewing our covenant with the people of India.

In a wider sense this episode is not merely a disgraceful reminder of the deep rooted nature of police corruption in India. It shows the wider moral vacuum that underpins all our institutions and elites. The guardians of India of Patel’s imagination, have turned out to be vampires with an insatiable appetite for the blood and toil of India’s poor and disadvantaged millions. One can only hope that this recent incident will jolt them into becoming a little less forgiving of the transgressions of their public servants. This will by no means be the last time an IPS officer will betray the ideals of our service. No doubt it leaves us all looking a lot smaller before the citizens we were sworn to serve and protect. But if it also results in greater public pressure to discharge our duties as envisaged by our founding fathers, then there may be some redemption in this tale of a hero allegedly fallen to the lure of heroin.

... contd.