PM warns against vigilante justice

New Delhi, October 4: Acknowledging that internal security was one of the key challenges for the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the police and law enforcement agencies need to go “far beyond conventional responses” in facing terrorist threats. Superior intelligence capabilities, a better police and greater discipline are crucial to improve the internal security machinery, Singh said. He also referred to inter-state and trans-national ramifications of crime and suggested a discussion on federal crimes and the centre-state dimension of internal security administration.

He also referred to the recent cases of vigilante justice in Vaishali and Bhagalpur as he addressed the country’s top cops at the National Conference of Director Generals and Inspector Generals of Police. “We are seeing many incidents of vigilantism and of citizens taking law into their own hands, particularly in Bihar,” he said. Some of these could be due to personal frustration but this also “arises out of dissatisfaction over the functioning of the law enforcement and justice system”, the Prime Minister said.

Speaking about the “formidable challenges” on the internal security front, he referred to the Hyderabad blasts, the Naxal attempt to kill former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Janardhana Reddy, violence in the Northeast and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He called for “greater discipline, lesser politicisation and zero corruption” in the police to deal with these challenges.

While he spoke of terrorism becoming a global phenomenon of our times, he tried to draw attention to some home truths like the neglect of law and order on “matters which directly impinge citizenry”. Pointing out that people want a secure environment, Singh said their concerns centre around harassment by local criminals or gangs, goondaism, dadagiri, kidnapping, extortion, eve-teasing and child abuse. “As we get more urbanised, these offences are increasing. White collar crime too is seeing a rise,” he said.

Here, his suggestion to the police was: “People should be willing to approach a policeman with the same assurance with which they visit a doctor. That should be your goal.”

On Naxalism, which is being discussed at length at the conference, Singh said there was a need to work with “greater commitment” and “police forces need to redouble their efforts” to control its spread.

The National Police Mission, which is working out a new vision for the police and their functioning, should develop a culture of excellence within the force. The Prime Minister felt the mission should also study community policing, non-registration of FIRs, new methods of crowd dispersal and a more user-friendly police uniform.

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