Police must get over public distrust

The situation at times becomes very complex, especially when it turns out to be a case of mistaken identity. In some cases, what happens is that the accused is found to be completely innocent If the need for effective measures to bridge the credibility gap between the law-keeping forces and the public warranted immediate attention at any time, it is now, and occasional outcry in the wake of a particular eventuality is hardly the answer. The malady has much deeper social implications as things have got mixed with politics in almost all public matters. The mass media, as indeed other means of public discourse, have during this week been preoccupied with the fallout of the CBI marathon charge-sheet filed before the Gujarat High Court in the Ishrat Jahan's encounter case. While the matter is before the court, what still remains a matter of concern is the exponential increase in organized crime and the greater engagement of the police force in fighting out the trend. It is here that the police methodology and mechanics have often been called in question, resulting in perpetual friction between the police and sections of the public. There is thus a piquant situation that finds the upholders of law in the dock. Undeniably, every year witnesses a spurt in the incidence of organized crime and acts of terror leading to seemingly ever increasing complaints of fake encounters. The focus may be on Gujarat at the moment, but complaints of fake encounters have equally come in from the Chief Ministers of several States, including notably from the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah. However, it is common knowledge that such complaints have been pouring in from States like UP, Bihar and the north-eastern ones rather regularly. Delhi and Mumbai have been in the news for serious allegations of such nature. Some of the cases have been too intriguing or mystifying enough to find out whether a particular case is genuine or fake. The Batla House encounter has been one such case which has remained a matter of furious debate. The situation is very often rendered all the more complex when it finally turns out to be a case of mistaken identity, and in many cases what ultimately happens is the final release of the accused found completely innocent in the eyes of the court. There lies the rub, and the need for systemic change, normative behavior and overhaul of the mode of training becomes paramount. The remedy on the ground certainly lies in getting rid of the all-pervasive crisis of confidence. It is loss of public confidence in the processes of police investigation that undercuts the police-public relationship. At the moment, we stand face to face with a situation where different arms of law have been found working at cross-purposes. The trend, unfortunate as it is, has become more noticeable of late�the NIA and the State police arriving at diametrically opposed findings to the ultimate loss of face by the latter (Karnataka, Delhi). In Gujarat, there is a situation where two Central agencies have got involved in recrimination. The CBI charge-sheet has put the IB high-ups in the dock. The situation could not be worse and more embarrassing to the Union Home Ministry. Both the agencies have been highly reputed, carrying immense prestige and each with a record of exceptional proficiency. That the incident in question involves several members of the Gujarat government imparts to it dimensions of political nature which are explosive enough to cast reflection on future events. But much of Gujarat happenings have got linked up with the communal carnage of 2002 which put them into an altogether different category. What is a matter of concern to is the malaise stemming from lack of attention paid during all these years to the question of police reforms in its various aspects. The slippery road has inevitably zeroed in on the domain of politics, and, as such, it does not remain a social or sociological question alone. Judicial forums, as a matter of course, keep themselves away and above such considerations, but the public does get involved for obvious reasons. The credibility gap has led to alienation between the public and the police, which creates a societal vacuum; yet whenever there is an untoward incident, the public look to the police for help notwithstanding the chasm of mutual suspicions between them. Many remedial measures have been suggested to bridge the gap, but to no avail, and the matter just rests at that. Obviously, the situation differs from State to State: Gujarat falls into a different category from that of UP, for instance, and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir goes rather the other way of the spectrum; circumstances radically differ in the one in the heartland States as also in the North and South. Comparative calm prevailed in the Valley till at least the hanging of Afzal Guru. Even otherwise, militancy has been on the wane, but for periodical outbursts. The focus here has been on the question of withdrawal of AFPSA and it has as yet remained a controversial issue which needs to be resolved without heartburn. Complaints of fake encounters have been a latter-day phenomenon actuated as they had initially been by the greed of promotions and currying favors of political masters. However, what went on to add to their enormity was their gradual turn towards communal miasma in deference to the diktats of the political masters.