WHERE IS THE HUMANE FACE?

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Nothing better could have been said when Mr. Bipin Bihari Mishra, taking over charge of Orissa Police as its Director General last year, said that crime is to be curbed; but the police mind-set should be so set that the people feel secured.

We had highlighted his version, as, to us, he had spotted the crux of the lacunae with the police. But deaths in custody one after another in various Police stations do tell us that we had erred in putting faith in his words.

Cut and dried reaction of the D.G.P. to every death in custody prompts one to ask him if ever has he tried to change the Police face from inhumane to humane.

There are 506 cases against inhuman behavior of the Police pending before the State Human Rights Commission, which was establishment only in 2003. Amongst all allegations, the allegations against the Police constitute the majority. The Police Chief could have done better had he taken steps to expedite the cases pending against so many Police officers for violation of human rights and initiated any exemplary action against any Police Officer who is guilty of transgression of human rights of any man or woman. Instead, he goes on propagating that the people could live happily if ultra-left activists are vanquished.

Under the commissionist pattern of present administration, the contractors, hand in glove with official functionaries, are looting public money even from the fund earmarked for food for work programs. They are using machines to do the work that is meant for execution by people below the poverty-line against food. If left activists compel the functionaries to see that the poor people for whom the fund is meant are not denied work by the avaricious machine users, do they commit a crime? Why the Police have not taken any action against any body that has used or allowed the contractors to use Machines in works the working villagers are supposed to do?

Mr. Mishra would do well if he could say us what exactly he has done to change the mind-set of Police as its Director General. If he has taken any real step, where it went wrong? He should share his experience with the public so that the people can best know as to where the humane face of Police has gone.

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