Every time we feel the police have reached a nadir, our men in khaki surprise us by falling further down the abyss of ignominy. Just after the killing of innocents in Ganderbal, Kashmir, shocked our conscience, news of the cold-blooded murder of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife comes in. In the past, policing as a part of the criminal justice system was considered corrupt and inefficient, today there is an added element of criminalisation and dehumanisation that characterises the working of a fringe.

Dehumanisation of the guardians of law and order can be disastrous. Reports of the fake encounters in Gujarat reek of supari killings arranged by the police on behalf of the wealthy. This is nothing less than the subversion of the police force by criminal elements. Political masters demand the full allegiance of the police force which is then subordinated into accepting the status quo. In some cases they have become the link between money and muscle. What is disturbing is that this could affect our fight against terrorism to which India lost over 250 lives in 2006 in areas like Varanasi, Mumbai and Malegaon which are otherwise not affected by any form of militancy. Anti Terrorist Squads (ATS) of various state — the bulwark of counter-terrorism — are the alleged perpetrators of fake encounters, whether in Gujarat or Kashmir.

Humanising the police is the first essential step that needs to be initiated. Practices such as encounter killings have to be stopped and the functioning of the ATS reviewed so that their personnel are made accountable. The next step is police autonomy, another abused concept. The most significant lesson that we have gained from those institutions which have functioned in relative autonomy — the Election Commission for instance — is that they are ultimately answerable only to the Constitution and their internal chain of command. In the heyday of Indian policing, old time officers recall that there was total freedom.

... contd.