- By now, it’s amply clear that police departments across the country are forced to follow the diktat of the political masters on matters of importance, especially involving communal angles. Since politics is ubiquitous, meddling in society’s every means of existence is a given fact. And where political masters make their presence felt, expect parochial considerations to consolidate vote banks to take shape as if on cue. We know how India as a country is hugely diverse accommodating different cultures, traditions, languages, and practices to ensure compatibility. As society is witnessing never seen before polarization of communities based on religious lines, the police are expected to step in as the incidents of disturbances are bound to head northwards.
PC: Freepik
- Ideally speaking, police are expected to discharge responsibilities by staying neutral and diligently following the rule of the law of the land. Unfortunately, we are not part of an ideal world but live in times where political oneupmanship is the order of the day. Moreso in a democratic country like ours where the battle lines are drawn between the communal and secular proponents unashamed to exploit the society’s glaring faultlines to realise their ambitions. We are aware of the existing unholy nexus between the political masters and police where the latter never hesitate to do the former’s bidding. One such incident was on display when the burning deaths of two Muslim men from Rajasthan whose charred bodies were found in Haryana on February 16.
- Mind you, justice for the two deceased depends on police from the two states working together. If they act at odds instead, it will easily sabotage the thorny investigation. Those named in the FIR registered in Rajasthan include Haryana police informers and the Rajasthan police’s first arrest in the case has led to damning claims about the Haryana police’s role in the vigilante killing. As you are aware, this phenomenon of vigilantism and moral policing has witnessed an alarming uptick over the years. The saga of two state police doesn’t stop here. Incredulously, look at how 30-40 unnamed Rajasthan cops have themselves been charged by Haryana police with serious crimes in a February 17 raid including causing miscarriage.
PC: Freepik
- As it is, police are poor at prosecuting their own wrongdoing. In the instant case, that weakness is being worsened by an even larger problem in India’s law and order system. Interstate police getting into acrimony is not new and there are dime a dozen cases to substantiate. It gets murkier when Rajasthan police underline their argument by saying they were accompanied by local Haryana police during the raid there. But then, why was the raid not videographed? On top of it, some people consider themselves no less than authorities threatening to take the law into their own hands, even against the police. The systemic obfuscation and politicization that hurts citizens bite the police itself. Indeed, the criminals are making hay while the police appear clueless.
