DGP advises police to focus on social investigation

Vijayawada: Director General of Police N Sambhasiva Rao on Monday informed that he is preparing the police department to focus on ‘social investigation’ while pursuing cases of criminal nature.

Highlights:

• Referring to Tuni arson, he says investigating agencies should be tough and crush unlawful elements with a heavy hand
• Assures convening of high power committees once in three months to monitor cases of assaults on media persons

In an interaction with members of the Andhra Pradesh Working Journalists Federation (APWJF), he said if criminal investigation is to be holistic, the cases have to be pursued even from social and psychological angle of the accused. He said the police are presently confined to the event-based criminal aspect of investigation.

Citing the case of Tuni arson, he emphasised the need for the investigation agencies to be tough to crush unlawful elements with a heavy hand. “Police were chased away, media personnel assaulted and cameras damaged, indicating the trend that no one is safe in the absence of vigilant and tough policing on hand,” the DGP observed.

Expressing concern over the growing assaults on the media personnel, Sambasiva Rao said taking the law into anyone’s hands and resorting to attacking journalists is unacceptable in any civilised society although the allegations of extortion and the other illegal activities faced by them may have substance.

He said this when his attention was drawn to an attack on a journalist in Chirala of Prakasam district by followers of local MLA. He expressed the view that distortion and misrepresentation of facts by media sometimes, impinging on the rights of others may trigger violent reactions in the form of physical assaults. “However, it cannot be justified,” he said.

The DGP promised to convene the high-powered committees constituted by the government to monitor the cases of assaults on media persons for every three months and ensure revival of the district level high-powered committees within a week.

Federation leaders G Anjaneyulu and A Amaraiah said the high powered committee at the State level was a toothless body without any statutory powers while seeking to establish a liaisoning cell in the DGP office for better relations between the police and the media.