- The Indian citizens are quite used to seeing how the political leaders showcase gun-toting security cover extended by the government authorities. It’s a matter of prestige for the majority of the political leaders who are fond of projecting an aura about themselves surrounded by security paraphernalia. The more security personnel providing cover means the more important an individual’s status in the overall scheme of things. If by chance the security cover is withdrawn owing to the reduced threat assessment/perception, more often than not, it can be safely assumed that the political undercurrents are at play. Unfortunately, the law enforcement agencies, especially the police, are used as mere pawns in the decisions surrounding the same.
PC: Injila Khan and Utkarsh Mishra
- As you are aware, the recent murder of singer and Punjab Congress politician Sidhu Moose Wala a day after the state’s AAP government reduced his security cover raises several questions about VIP protection in this country. Sadly, one or the other brutal killing will awaken the consciousness of our administrative leaders looking for palpable reasons. Nonetheless, that Moose Wala’s security cover was scaled down may have been a police decision that followed AAP’s stated goal of rationalizing VIP security. Now, such a move shows how political parties wish to derive mileage by overtly projecting an upright and honest government. However, what was strange was AAP’s Twitter handle identified Moose Wala as one of those with scaled-down protection.
- This particular aspect needs to be investigated since it possibly made the singer-politician vulnerable to attacks. Further, the moot point to ponder over is here about the system that decides who gets what level of security and what strain this puts on policing, which suffers from personnel inadequacy, to begin with. Security covers at state levels are often political favors bestowed on those in or close to power as gun-toting cops are another status symbol in our hierarchy-obsessed politics. And just as real assessment of threat is not done while granting a security cover, often it isn’t done while reducing or withdrawing the cover. Politics influences decisions paving way for an unparalleled VIP security culture unlike seen in other democracies.
PC: Amar Ujala
- As per data from the Bureau of Police Research and Development, more than 66,000 police personnel were protecting more than 19,000 ministers, MPs, MLAs, judges, bureaucrats, and others in 2019, in the Centre and states. Of course, the bulk of this protection force is drawn from state police ranks. Worryingly, India has 155.78 police personnel per lakh population, against the UN recommended standard of 222 cops per lakh. Overworked cops are a daily danger sign that goes unnoticed. Also, serious skew in distribution is seen with many parts of non-urban India being seriously under-policed. Thus, it’s advisable for the authorities to seriously look into extending the VIP security cover to only those leaders facing real threats.
