Fashioning People's Police

It is often said that the police that the British fashioned for a colonial purpose is out-dated for the post-Independence India. The people of an independent democratic country have expectations from their protector which differ diametrically from the expectations of the colonial masters whose perception was naturally top-down.

It is not as if this has not been recognised by the powers that be. There have been attempts to study the problem of policing in India; the most notable being the Police Commission which was set up nearly four decades ago. The recommendations of the Commission have not been implemented over the long period that has elapsed since the recommendations were made. Meanwhile, the police remains mired in professional conditions which hamper their performance, and the distance between the public and their servant continues to be enormous.

An impartial judge of the policeman will also look at the reasons why there is a gap between expectations and delivery of this extremely vital public servant. There will be, in such an assessment, empathy for the kind of conditions in which a policeman has to not only perform, but also live. The policeman is frequently transferred and hardly gets the time to find suitable accommodation for his family to live in peace. There is a strong resistance from house owners to rent their premises out to policemen given the perception the public has of an average policeman. The result is that the policeman is forced to keep his family either in his home village, or in areas which are not exactly the most respectable ones. The policeman has the mandate for a 24-hour duty, and the condition of public tranquillity in some places does not allow an under-manned police station to grant even the full quota of leave which is due under the rules. A study I conducted during my tenure in the districts showed that the constables, head constables and sub-inspectors posted in the police stations seldom enjoy more than 46 per-cent of the leave they earn and only 67 per-cent of the casual leave which is admissible in a year. The barrack accommodation is not even of the standard that most people would create for their pets! Day in and day out the policeman deals with irate public, rule flouting callous road users, hardened criminals and most uncivil public representatives. As if this is not bad enough, their superiors are often hard task-masters with a limited concern for their welfare. If all this was merely a list of excuses to escape public disapproval of unacceptable behaviour, then all these factors would not have been taken into consideration by the National Police Commission, The Commission came up with a number of recommendations to improve the conditions under which an average policeman has to function. Among other things, the fact that a policeman is lucky if he gets 25 days of leave while a government servant from other departments has nearly 140 holidays in a year and the festivals, national holidays, week-ends can all be enjoyed by him.

Given these adverse conditions, the chances are that a policeman will become irritable, abusive, insensitive, heartless, unfeeling, inconsiderate, thoughtless, and thick-skinned. It will take a great effort on his part to maintain a mental equilibrium and equanimity which are so essential for him to be a model policeman. What can be done to improve his lot? Here is a short list.

1. Construct more residences for men in the place where their families can live in peace and have access to education and medical care.

2. Recruit more men so as to build in sufficient off-hours and holidays for the overworked law-keeper.

3. Increase the frequency of behavioural training capsules.

4. Educate public to respect laws. For this a beginning needs to be made at the school where there should be an emphasis on having respect for the law of the land.

5. Make public aware about the actual powers and limitations the policeman has. It is often the case that people go to police with complaints the law does not expect them to entertain.

6. Make transparent procedures for accountability of the police towards the public.

            Clearly, the onus lies with the political masters of the day. In a democratic set up, the police has to be the servant of the people, and not of the political masters.

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SHAKTIMAN DIARY

On a walk through the vast parade ground, I was thinking about the relationship that man and animal often strike.  A proud owner of a dog develops a very special bond with this symbol of dependability and devotion in the animal kingdom. I have a large number of friends with endless number of stories they have about the astonishing emotional attachment which man and beast developed. Innumerable stories abound about horse-man relationships too. History is replete with the parables of this magnificent animal which symbolises strength and speed. I couldn’t help think about the services these two animals have rendered to the society as members of police forces across the world. The ever dependable dog has the special capacity to sniff with accuracy hundred times more effective than its human handler. That makes this genial four-legged wonder a priceless partner when an investigator wants to unravel a mysterious crime. The horse too has a vital role to play. The speed and strength it symbolises are assets for any warrior on the move. And the warrior the society looks up to for controlling mobs when they behave without restraint and act to the detriment of tranquillity, the policeman, makes a telling impact astride a horse.

As I disturbed a pile of dry leaves with my foot, I noticed a diary partially exposed under these leaves that had fallen from the trees in autumn. Wondering what it was, I picked up the slightly ragged bundle of crumpled paper. I looked around to see if there was someone who could be the owner of this booklet. There was none, and I opened pages to find that there were some pages of a diary which had been written only recently. I started reading, and what I read was something that Shaktiman, the police horse in the news recently for having sustained a fatal leg injury, had penned down in the last days of his life. This is what I read:

Day ONE

I can’t help being reflective. The last month has seen a proud animal to live in a condition which is hardly doing his pride any good. I can claim today to be among the best known horses the world over. Police, for whom I worked, treated me with immense love and respect. Almost a decade ago when I was picked up to join Uttarakhand Police out of a large number of other horses, I sensed that I was a part of a team of policemen who loved one another: not just humans, but us, horses as well. Sure enough, with the close training my handlers provided to me, I had the confidence to deal with all aspects of my duty. I need not be modest in my own diary, so I can say that I was rated the smartest, most elegant and supremely well-trained in a troop consisting of many winners! I developed a strong sense of dedication to my duties. I was asked to lead the troops, be it on ceremonial occasions or in difficult crowd control situations. I had the privilege to be a showpiece horse at the State Raising Day Parades every 9^th November for the last so many years. Now with a leg gone, I am wondering if those glorious days will ever return!

Day TWO

The doctors have been visiting me with an unfailing consistency. I am growing fond of them. One Dr Negi, is particularly loving. And that doctor from Mumbai, Dr Feroz Khambatta, has been taking very close care too. The American Dr Jenny has been working day and night to give me a prosthetic leg so that I may once again stand up…..the most preferred natural position the Almighty has given to us horses!!

When I see these angelic humans doing the most that they can to give me some comfort and relief, I cannot but be astonished at the brutality of some others. I have seen these types in so many rallies, and have found that those whose profession is to give laws to the society are the ones most frequently breaking those laws too. And at times when they come in groups to stage what they call protests, their behaviour assumes sinister proportions. A month ago, my stoic presence in the midst of mayhem all around was possibly due to years of training and experience. You will not believe it that with all that restrain in the face of great provocation, with my training giving me the resolve to be responsible and peaceful in all situations, with my loving rider astride me, I was still not spared! The leader and the followers, all seemed to be intent on proving that violence is their credo. And I was at the receiving end…all in the call of duty.

Day THREE

I saw a dream tonight. My mother came to have a word with me and I saw in her eyes several layers of sadness. She seemed to have come to the conclusion that there was something ominous in store for me. Her tear-laden eyes compelled me to look the other way for I was myself in the middle of a losing battle to control my own tears. That I am a soldier is a fact that I never lose sight of. So, I regained my composure and set out to convey to mom how I was proud to be a dutiful member of an elite unit of a force which is there to protect the law abiding citizen from the criminal. I was proud to be a part of a force the members of which routinely take bullets on their chests in the call of duty. In my case, the fact that I was in the middle of a battle for life was not a matter for regret; the brave soldiers are known to be imbued with the pluck to face such situations. I was indeed always vulnerable to attacks from agitating mobs, and from those who are expected to give to the people their laws but have habitually been indifferent when it came to respecting the very same laws. I consoled mom that if I was actually going to succumb, then it was in the manner that every soldier dreams of: to make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Mom disappeared, and left me thinking. Will it be a miracle? Will Dr Jenny actually make me move on four legs? Will I be the first police horse in the world to perform with just three real legs and one leg given by Dr Jenny? I dozed off, thinking of the coming day, when the prosthetic leg was to be fixed. I must have slept with a smile on my face!

Day FOUR

My days pass these days with a large number of people all around me. I am confined to my stable in the Police Lines. As if I am a celebrity, they surround me. Look at me. Talk in whispers, and loudly at times. The refrain is the same. On the one hand they sympathise with me, and on the other, they express their strong disapproval for the mentality and attitude of some people in positions of power. It is astonishing to find that the suffering of an animal can make humans so sensitive to pain and injury. I know how numberless fellow animals eke out a miserable existence in sordid conditions, yet the human response is missing. My fellow animals are ones who might actually rejoice in my current misery for a large number of animal lovers and activists have suddenly gained prominence and are all over television channels. Their efforts are bringing the movers and shakers to their side, and all of a sudden, the central concern of the nation is animal welfare. I can understand that not all these activists are well-meaning. Some of them are there to just gain footage when the going permits such a thing. Others are genuine animal lovers.

One thought that has caught popular imagination is the way that animals in the service of humans ought to be treated. For police horses and dogs, the demand is that they be given the status of officials, and even enjoy ranks. It might sound funny, but despite my present condition, I am inclined to believe that I am the top cop!!

P.S. For some reason, the prosthetic leg has not come today, and I will have to spend yet another night sleeping clumsily on the ground. My favourite position while is standing proudly on all fours…oh, when will that happen again!

Day FIVE

These days, as I await a prosthetic leg to be given to me, I find myself reflecting more and more about my life. I recall that as my mom gave me birth, and I touched earth the very first time, I took hardly a few minutes to stand on all fours. And that is the way I have spent my entire time: standing, walking, cantering and galloping. It gives me immense thrill that by the afternoon, I will be again in my natural stance: standing.

As I look all around, my fellow members of the excellent team of equines that serve as part of the proud Uttarakhand police, I go back to the time we spent under the very strict trainers, the immense unwavering love we received from our handlers, and the care we received from our loving syces. The occasional visit of the vets and the barber who would give us a thorough grooming was welcome only because these visits were often followed by feasts of gur (jaggery) and gram. Oh, how I love to be pampered!

These days I see a lot of curious onlookers visiting me….and their faces give me a disturbing appreciation of ominous bodings. I know that the simplest definition of life is: the time that a living being spends between birth and death. The great urge that all beings cherish, however, is that death should not be the last milestone. I have the longing to be remembered like Arion, Pegasus, Chetak, or Rani Lakshmibai’s immortal horse who served her till the very end. The passing away of a fellow soldier is an event that the proud police force solemnly observes with befitting last rites. I have seen how they hold their tears back, and manage a stoic stance as they reverse their firearms in deference and grief. But am I a soldier in the sense the humans are understood to be? Or, am I just equipment which is used and exploited to meet an end till the time comes for being listed with the things that have reached their expiry date? I have heard that there are police forces in some parts of the world which recognise us and dogs as living soldiers, conferring us with ranks suitable to seniority and efficiency we attain. I hope the police force to which I belong will also count us as one of them, and give me a rank as I walk, canter and gallop once again on the coming Independence Day. I also hope that we will be decorated with honours on special occasions in the manner that other police officials are.

I can feel a great source of bright light, almost blinding in its brilliance, engulfing me, and beckoning me towards itself. I can see my mom in a faded outline behind the source of light. Hey, mom, I have pain…..will you give me a balm; I want to be in your care!

**********

SHAKTIMAN was given a prosthetic leg the following day. He did stand on all fours, one of the four was, alas, not one made of flesh and blood. He took a few painful steps to see if the borrowed appendage did really stand to the test. It appears, sadly, that the result of the test was in the negative. The magnificent animal breathed its last the following day. The whole humanity mourned, save the ones who thought that horse-trading was actually a literal game to be played as brutally as only human beings can.

I HAVE READ SOMEWHERE THAT during Asoka the Great’s reign, the animals enjoyed citizens’ rights. In our times, the animals deserve at least animals’ right to live!!!

MUSIC: THE VOICE OF SOUL

Is It Under The Threat of Extinction?

Without music, life would be a mistake.

                                      -----Friedrich Nietzsche

    When lyrics are presented in a bouquet of melody, rhythm, and instruments, we get to hear the sound of life: music. Victor Hugo had said: “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Yes, the idea of silence can only be well understood when sound is not a stranger. Sound ranges from a soft whisper to an unbearable din. Somewhere in between will be a range of sound waves that will fall in the category of music. Sound dynamics, the other name for loudness and softness and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture, also called the colour of a musical sound, are important to the piece which is produced. Based on an analysis of these elements, rests the verdict whether the piece of sound thus achieved will be labelled music or otherwise. Ludwig van Beethoven, the great musician, said:  “Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.” The highest form of human creativity is abstract philosophy; add a dimension or two to it, we will be in the world of music.

    I have a teenager niece who avoids joining us for parties. As a family, we have a strong connection with music and poetry. So whenever we are together, music flows. This niece is not keen to be with us on such occasions. Her reason, she finds our “black-and-white music” unbearable. The expression stands for the kind of music we enjoy: lyrics of the highest poetic class, melody which stirs the soul, rhythm that excites and soothes as the mood demands, in which the boundaries of where melody ends and din begins very well defined. Her idea contrasts with ours because we cannot but help relating to the appeal the sound of music has for our souls; her idea being centred on the rhythm alone. The words have no place in the exercise to attempt an assessment of the quality of what reaches one’s ears. Whether the rhythm qualifies as good enough for moving the body in what passes off for dancing in parties these days is all that is the test of acceptability. Black-and-white music, on the other hand, will be strong in poetry, emotion, melody and will also come with a soul-stirring quality. A parallel can be drawn with Test cricket. A fan of this classical form of the Gentleman’s Game will enjoy a copybook defensive stroke as much as a beautiful leg spin delivery left all alone by a technically sound batsman. This fan will scoff at an ugly cross-bat stroke even if the result is a resounding six. At the other end of the spectrum is the shortest version, the 20-over game, in which the batsman is free to be grossly crass, but one who enjoys the ability to produce brute power, is the great champion. This batsman is judged on the basis of the length of his hit, irrespective of the brutal assault on the senses of a person who swears by the technique of a hit. Music that comes in ‘hot’ packets similarly delivers an immediate dose of adrenaline which skyrockets you into a world of instant gratification. You forget such a game by the time you reach your own driveway after watching it, unlike the sight of a classical display which remains etched in the memory of those who have had the pleasure of witnessing that poetry in motion years or decades ago.

    The idea of music is under a serious threat of extinction. Lyrics of popular songs these days are such that you will feel very embarrassed if the ladies of the family are around when these vulgar, crass and utterly unimaginative jumbles of inanities are uttered. The melody is nowhere to be experienced; rhythm suitable for moving limbs and torso to being the only element that there is in plenty.  Lyrics are there to just fill in the blanks left by overpowering drums and rhythm instruments. No wonder, this is an arrangement which will make an instant impression on your mind, and as soon as you are away from this prolific display of cacophonous outpouring, you will be left with little recall of the words or the melody which touched you only minutes ago. The soul remains unmoved. It was therefore shocking to find the septuagenarian grandmother of my teenage niece supporting today’s music, and trying to appear in sync with her granddaughter. It is for this reason I feel our senses will be dulled to an extent that nothing soft, melodious and soulful will stir us. Only hard-hitting noise will impact us. We will then find it hard to agree with Martin Luther when he says: “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”

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DILIP KUMAR

A Tribute to a Thespian

Any platform for performance gives the performer opportunities to be remembered as a nobody, a noticeable presence, a strong participant, or someone who just carries away all the accolades, overshadowing the rest. In the context of a performer in front of a cine-camera, the great challenge arises from the fact that those who share screen-space with that performer are also doing their best to dominate the limited space. The others vying for viewer-attention are professional performers, and are not going to provide easy passage to another seeker of the most noticeable spaces that are there. It is a cut-throat competition. On their standing in this very competitive arena rests not merely their reputation as actors, but their saleability at the box office also. Once there is a dip in that marquee value, few are able to rediscover past glory. Bollywood is known to be a place where a fading star gets side-lined and finds few takers. Far more unheard of is the case of a star of yesteryears to still be considered the bench mark by which to judge the performance of reigning superstars.

It is hard to find exceptions to this rule. In an arena where one performer is always pitted against heavy odds to retain a hard-earned perch, one such exception is Dilip Kumar, an actor who inspires awe among all those who have been making an effort to achieve a place in the unforgiving world where survival is dependent on acceptability by the popular viewer as well as the critic. If Dilip Kumar could do it for close to four decades, there must be a lot more than just talent to his story. To be sure, loads of sweat, immeasurable dedication and a very intense study of human nature and expression, both in terms of the spoken word and the silent pauses, aided by the perfect body language, would have helped create arguably the greatest actor Hindi films have thrown up.  The life story of Yusuf Khan brings out how a withdrawn and inhibited youngster would undergo a sea change to become a thespian par excellence by sheer determination, exceptional hard work and infinite capability. Yes, his real name indeed is Yusuf Khan, whose father, Sarvar Khan, was a fruit merchant. Dilip Kumar, born on 11 December 1922, was from Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and knew Raj Kapoor who also migrated from Peshawar to Bombay (now Mumbai). Raj was a natural entrant into the world of stage and films; as his father, Prithviraj, was a well-known theatre actor. It was thanks to Raj that a fundamentally shy youngster like Dilip was drawn to even consider the option of becoming a film actor. He was aware that there would be serious opposition to any thoughts, if he ever had them, to even contemplate a film career.

Destiny came knocking in the form of Devika Rani, the reigning leading lady of Hindi films in the early 1940’s. She saw in him the possibilities of a film actor’s career. She must have gone beyond just the handsome appearance of the Pathan, and noticed the burning intensity of his eyes. She became the reason for launching one of the greatest film personalities that India has seen. Yet, such was the unnerving fear of his orthodox family’s reaction on this move that Yusuf even agreed to a change of name from Yusuf Khan to Dilip Kumar. His first film, ‘Jwar Bhata’ was released in the year 1944. This film completely failed to give a glimpse of the things to come. The youngster making his debut in this film went almost unnoticed. However, it seems that the spark of a mega star was not missed by those who knew better. Dilip Kumar was not to fade away after just one appearance. Appear he did again, and how! His subsequent films gave him a steady rise; and by 1947 he had graduated to a position to have releases of two important films in a single year, ‘Milan’ and ‘Jugnu‘. Then in 1948 five films were released in one year: ‘Shaheed’, ‘Nadiya ke Paar’, ‘Mela’, ‘Ghar ki Izzat’, and ‘Anokha Pyar’.

The following year, ‘Shabnam’ and ‘Andaz’ were released. The latter also starred Raj Kapoor and Nargis in a triangular romantic story. The top three stars coming together in a Mehboob Khan film was a great event. True to industry expectations, the film was a huge box office block buster. Now Dilip Kumar was firmly in the position to be counted as a top notch actor. His performances had established that acting out intense emotions was his forte. Films like Deewar (1951), Daagh (1952), Devdas (1955) and Naya Daur (1957) became all-time classics. The role of a blind person in love with his childhood friend played in Deedar is till date one of the finest depictions of a person who suffers from visual handicap. Daagh was about an alcoholic, and Devdas too was about a forlorn character that falls for alcohol as he grieves the loss of a childhood sweetheart. Many critics still rate his portrayal of Devdas the best acting performance by an Indian actor.

 A time had arrived in his career when he could have done any number of films at a given time. He commanded such respect from the film fraternity and adulation from multitude of his fans that he could feature in any film that he wanted. Yet, at this point in his career, he seems to have taken the decision that keeping the appearances limited would work for better quality. So after this point in time, he acted in only one film in a year, with very few exceptions when the number would go up to two. The roles he played in Deedar, Daagh and Devdas were all tragic characters. He was called the Tragedy King of Hindi cinema. Much as fans loved to see a hero who lost it all, the actor himself was suffering; Dilip Kumar was suffering from depression as a result of the involvement he brought to all these tragic characters. The ‘method actor’ that he was, Dilip was crumbling within. He sought counsel from psychologists who advised him to play light hearted comedy oriented roles to overcome the depression. Hence films like ‘Aazaad’, in which he played a swashbuckling thief and ‘Kohinoor’, in which he portrayed a playful prince. It is interesting to note that in the latter film, his heroine was played by Meena Kumari who had also earned the nickname of Tragedy Queen for her serious roles! His flair for comic roles was recognised by the fans, and more films like ‘Leader’ and ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ also were very well received.

In 1966 he got married to Saira Banu, daughter of Naseem Banu, who was Dilip’s friend. Naseem was a film actress too, and lived not far away from Dilip’s house in Mumbai. The young Saira had fallen for a much older Dilip, 44 at the time of the wedding when Saira was half his age.  Yet this has remained one of the most enduring marriages of the industry despite a short-lived marriage to one Asma in 1980. Earlier, his closeness to Kamini Kaushal in the 1940’s and a much discussed romance with the beauteous Madhubala in the 1950’s made headlines at that time.

The aura of Dilip Kumar is such that whenever there is a talk about Hindi films, his name comes up as the one who set the highest bench mark among actors. Amitabh Bachchan never misses an opportunity to express his great admiration for ‘Dilip saab’. In one of his blogs, Amitabh Bachchan says: “It’s a celebration for the greatest, on the eve of his birthday. He will turn 89 tomorrow, the 11th of December. Exactly 20 years older to me by birth and exactly 2000 years ahead of me in our common vocation. He is my idol and has been since the day I first saw his work. He has been an inspiration not just for me but I am certain to thousands of those that have ever dreamt of facing a camera for the art form called cinema. His presence his aura and his dedication to film shall be documented as ‘before Dilip Kumar and after Dilip Kumar’. He set fresh norms of performance in his acts of excellence, faultless and beyond any kind of improvement. His greatest quality was his connect with those that stood before him in the frame to act. His strength of delivery and his strength of connect with any character he portrayed has been unique and unsurpassable. On the eve of his birthday, I wish him good health and a long life of peace and happiness. He was the best and still is.”

Amitabh remembers with a degree of awe the time when he first faced the camera with his idol: “And then one day I stood along with him on the sands of Juhu as the camera rolled to give the mahurat shot for ‘Shakti’, the only film that we worked together in. Our first shooting scene in the film was in a jail sequence, where the police official but also my Father in film comes to visit me and tries to convince me that I was taking a wrong path in life and I disagree. Tough to stand in front of one whom you have admired for ages, and disagree with. But it happened and it kept happening day after day, till the film was complete. There were electric moments between him and me in the script, written by that incredible team of writers Salim – Javed, and each moment was filled with the distinction of great and impressive drama.” He adds “And it still remains an illusion in my life to have actually been a part of a project which was headed by this thespian! God has been kind, very kind!!”

Another actor who considers Dilip his idol is the Badshah of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan. On many occasions he has said how Dilip Kumar has influenced him, and how much he admires him.

The much respected film magazine, ‘Filmfare’, brought out a collectors’ issue when completion of 100 years of Indian cinema was celebrated, and what could be a better cover for such an issue than to have three titans together? Yes, the cover featured Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. For the record, it may be mentioned that no one has been awarded the prestigious Filmfare Best Actor award more times than Dilip Kumar. According to Wikipedia, he also holds the Guinness World Record for winning the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor.

Dilip Kumar completes 93 years of his life on 11 December this year. Let us all pray that he completes a century!!!

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CAPITAL QUESTION

Dehradun or Gairsen?

Serious challenges call for well-thought out, well considered solutions. In the life of a person, the answers may lie in the advice of elders, the wise, the experienced and the well-informed. Friends will be there to give moral and tangible support. And a leap by a person who is so fortified is likely to be safe; the fall is well cushioned, and a bone-crunching thud will be avoided. When it comes to taking decisions that might impact a large number of people, the decisions are best when wise counsel and, in more cases than not, consensus is in place. Governments in a democratic set up have to arrive at decisions with an immense sense of responsibility, with the mantra of maximum good for most. The decision, for instance, that the Uttarakhand government has made, regarding relocation of the state’s permanent capital away from its current temporary one, is one decision that calls for a no-nonsense, no-politics kind of clear-headed call steeped in sound reason on a multitude of fronts.

It was indeed a statesmanlike decision to appoint a committee headed by a seasoned man of judiciary to guide the decision through the many traps that may waylay a decision-maker who has to negotiate issues of politics and regionalism, apart from other vested interests. Once that was done, the committee’s recommendation should have been considered with due respect. In the case of Dixit Commission report, however, all the wisdom the report encapsulated after seven years of painstaking examination of the issues, this respect on the part of the decision-making government was replaced by vested political interests, chiefly for electoral considerations. The parameters on which the report was prepared included topography, water resources, climate, land-availability, natural drainage and investment that was thought to be called for in developing the necessary infrastructure. One can hardly find fault with these parameters. However, while the recommendations of the Commission are said to have rejected the idea of locating the new capital in Gairsen, the government did finally gave in to popular perception that decision to place the state’s life-centre there would be in the best interests of the state.

Let us examine the case put forward by the proponents of converting the temporary capital, Dehradun to the permanent one. There are, in essence, the following reasons offered:

The capital should be located at a place whose accessibility is plentiful and all-season; not merely from within the state but from outside the state as well; Dehradun has that connectivity. The connectivity of Gairsen is limited to a single means: roads.  We cannot overlook that there are hazards like landslides occurring very often, rendering accessibility unachievable. Dehradun has, on the other hand, rail and air connectivity in addition to all-season roads. Dehradun has a number of important government institutions, and has a large number of buildings which are already being used as government buildings. Secretariat and a temporary Vidhan Sabha building are also in place.

If all aspects are considered and the unequivocal answer is that the capital must be relocated, then the issue of finances will have to be considered very seriously. We should check financial resources to assess this inescapable aspect. The unfortunate fact is that our resource-strapped state can hardly come up with the enormous money that is needed for all the necessary buildings, roads, other institutions, residences, etc. A state like Haryana, which is miles ahead of Uttarakhand in resources, has not built a new capital though it has been in existence for close to five decades. To get an idea, we have to only look at the likely budget for building the Vidhan Sabha building in the new location. Two years ago, the estimated cost of the building was Rs 75 crores. Two years down the line, the costs have escalated substantially, and we might be looking at a three-figure estimate now. This is just one of the many dozen buildings that will have to be built. Then roads will have to be made within the new city, what to talk of the hundreds of kilometres of roads that will have to be made to connect this city with other centres of activity in the state. Rail lines may also be called for, and an airport will be a necessity too. Schools, colleges, parks, city centres, markets, hospitals, theatres and other centres for cultural performances, will all be required. All these buildings will cost a few thousand crore rupees. It may be mentioned that for Amravati, the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh, the Centre has extended the mind boggling amount of Rs 26,000 crore !  Where is this kind of money with our state? A state which hardly musters basic resources to run day-to-day business, can hardly conjure such an enormous amount. Uttarakhand is a newly formed state which has great liabilities to surmount. If Dehradun offers basic necessities to do the business of governance as it does, then it can continue to fill the gap, while we work for improving the infrastructure here in such a way as to retain the beauty and character of the lovely city that Dehradun is. The Dixit Commission appears to have arrived at the inference that Dehradun is the most suitable location. The report says that centralization of population, appropriate land distribution, relatively less vulnerability to landslides and earthquakes, easy transportation and connectivity, less possibility of deforestation and less pressure on agricultural land, security from international border, proximity to national capital and scope for expanding public facilities made Dehradun a preferred location.

Those who prefer Gairsen, come up with the argument that the main objective to create the hill-state was faster development of hill areas. Also mentioned was the fact that amongst hill-states, Uttarakhand alone did not have its capital in the hills.It was also pointed that the accessibility of Dehradun from far-flung districts of the state was not good enough, and a lot of time was spent in travelling from from districts like Pithorgarh, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Champawat. A view was expressed that the state population is predominantly ‘pahadi’, and the capital should therefore also be located in the hills.

It may be mentioned that the Dixit Commission finds Gairsain less viable for the location of permanent capital. The reasons that have been cited are poor connectivity, distance from the national capital, insufficient land for future development, insufficient water resources, steep slopes, proneness to landslides and earthquakes, difficult climate, proximity to flood area, non-centralization of population and possible threat from the international border.

The argument that location of the capital at Gairsen will accelerate the development of the hills does not seem to be logical. It may be said that Gairsen and a few areas around it may benefit, there will still be far-flung areas that will continue to be neglected for one or the other reason. To say that the capital should be in the hills because other hill-states have their capitals in hills is hardly a strong one. It may be mentioned that Jammu, the winter capital of J&K, or Guwahati, the capital of Assam are hardly hilly. The Himachal capital, Shimla, was the summer capital during British rule, and the infrastructure already existed there when Himachal was carved out in the year 1971. So there was no requirement for spending money on creating the infrastructure. It may also be mentioned that the state’s population is densely concentrated in the Terai areas. Should the capital be located in the interior of the state when a larger population finds it easier to travel to a location connected by rail and road?

The 14^th century ruler, Muhammad Bib Tughlaq, is rarely, if ever, remembered for his unquestionable scholarship. He is almost universally recalled for the very controversial decision to shift his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad. He had his reasons, and took the decision based on his own judgement. He was a king, not the head of a democratic government. He was not required to go to polls for seeking a mandate. Analyses over the last few centuries tell us that his decision was a flawed one. His confidante and chronicler, Ibn Batuta, called Delhi ‘one of the greatest cities in the universe’. Yet, Tughlaq had other ideas. Maybe, Dehradun is not the greatest city in the universe, yet prudence would dictate that a shift out of Dehradun may be made only once all parameters point to the inescapable conclusion that this is in the best interests of the population of the state. Purely political considerations (How sure are we that this indeed is a political cracker?) will certainly lead to a decision which will find a most unenviable parallel in history. And even if an infrastructure is finally created, say a decade later, we may still have a city which lacks one basic lifeline: the soul.

We have to look at the question of the establishment of the permanent capital dispassionately, and see if there is a good reason to spend huge sums of money just because the idyllic Doon has a threat of assuming an ugly face. If Chandrababu Naidu wants to sink tonnes of money into the Bay of Bengal to chase his dream, we need not be inspired to jump to Gairsen. Should we not visit the Dixit Commission report and reconsider the whole question once again? Can we not consider a better way to make Dehradun free of all the troubles that some people mention; and of using money in a more productive way?

DO WE DESERVE THE POLICE WE HAVE?

Taking Stock On Police Reforms Day September 22.

                   Our literature and films are a reflection of the esteem, or the lack of it, that our police enjoy in the eyes of the citizen. Often we find the police depicted as corrupt and cruel, or there are bumbling buffoons in uniform in many movies, and the viewer has a good laugh when these morons go from one imbecile act to another. It seems that the real message is forgotten immediately thereafter. We tend to take these things easy, make a lot of noise when something goes wrong with us, only to go back to an insomniac slumber again. The constructive action will be to examine why we have such gap between the expectation and delivery when it comes to the police in our country and what it is that we need to do to improve matters.

                   Close to a decade back, the Apex Court issued some very important and long-awaited directions to governments in the States and at the Centre to bring about much needed reforms in the way that the police in India functioned. It was in response to a petition moved by legendary IPS officer Mr Prakash Singh and others before the Supreme Court of India in the year 1996. The Petition argued that “the executive authorities, at the political and bureaucratic levels, are not taking—and are not likely to take—any initiative to restructure the police department and introduce such reforms as would make it truly an instrument of service to the law and to the people”, and therefore urged upon the court “to direct the executive authorities of the Central and state governments to introduce such reforms as are essential to make the police, in letter and in spirit, accountable to the law of the land and the people of the country”. It was emphasised in the Petition that “the present distortions and aberrations in the functioning of the police have their roots in the colonial past and the complete subordination of the police to the executive—an arrangement which was designed originally to protect the interests of the British Raj but which unfortunately continues to this day”.

                  Despite the obvious importance of the issue involved, the hearing on the petition prolonged for a full decade. A historic judgment was finally delivered on September 22, 2006, containing comprehensive guidelines to the state and Central governments. The court emphasised that “the commitment, devotion and accountability of the police has to be only to the rule of law” and that “the supervision and control has to be such that it ensures that the police serves the people without any regard whatsoever to the status and position of any person while investigating a crime or taking preventive measures”. The landmark judgement of the Supreme Court is observed as the Police Reforms Day every year on September 22.

                 The Court understood the importance of institutionalising the necessary changes, and issued directions for the setting up of three bodies, namely, State Security Commission to insulate the police from extraneous influences, Police Establishment Board to give it functional autonomy, and Police Complaints Authority to ensure its accountability. Besides, the apex court ordered that the Director General of Police shall be selected by the state government based on merit through a thoroughly transparent process; and that the incumbent shall have a prescribed minimum tenure of two years. Likewise, police officers on operational duties in the field like the DIG Range, SP i/c District and SHO i/c Police Station would also have a minimum tenure of two years. The court also ordered the separation of investigating police from the law and order police to improve the quality of investigations. The orders were to be implemented by March 31, 2007. The states dragged their feet in implementing the court’s direction. Consequently, a committee, headed by Justice K T Thomas, was appointed to monitor the implementation. This Committee expressed its “dismay over the total indifference to the issue of reforms in the functioning of police being exhibited by the States”.

              A number of States, including Uttarakhand, have passed new Police Acts in the wake of the court’s judgment. These Acts, unfortunately, were passed to circumvent the implementation of the court’s directions. The states took advantage of a proviso in the judgment that its orders would be operative “till such time a new model Police Act is prepared by the Central government and/or the state governments pass the requisite legislation”. The remaining states passed executive orders ostensibly in compliance of the court’s directions, but these were against the letter and spirit of court’s directions. The compliance, briefly, has been farcical.

             It will be fair to say that the Central government too has been diffident in carrying out reforms. It has not enacted the Model Police Act so far even though a draft was prepared by eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee in 2006 itself. The net result is that police reforms mandated by the Supreme Court are still either completely ignored, or have been enforced only half-heartedly. The vested interests, which want the status quo to continue, have in fact been pushing police in the reverse gear. Crime and lawlessness in States need to be addressed with much urgency as a peaceful social order is a prerequisite for development. Yet, major States like Uttar Pradesh have paid little attention to this vital aspect of governance, as can be judged from the fact that the institution of DGP has been rendered a laughing stock by appointing persons to that high office for very short periods of one or two months.

            It cannot be overemphasised that police reforms are the need of the hour if we are to have a prospering economy and a progressive Indian state. Is it not tragic that even after nearly seven decades of Independence and two decades after a historic legal battle in the Supreme Court, we are still nowhere close to getting an efficient, ethical and dependable police force? Someone has said: “The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for”. In the case of the police that we have, this is absolutely true.     

            Aloke Lal, Former Director-General of Police

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POLICE REFORMS: IS UTTARAKHAND ALIVE TO THE NEED ?

Indian police has the serious handicap that it is still largely controlled by the antiquated Police Act of 1861. The manuals and regulations which lay down police procedures have over the years been based on this act which is now 155 years old. It need not be said that police is now dealing with a whole new set of challenges. The major watershed was India’s Independence almost seven decades ago. It may be recalled that the 1861 Act was enforced as a consequence of the 1857 uprising in India, and the then British rulers recognised the need to create a police force which was designed to perpetuate their presence in the subcontinent and provide for the necessary infrastructure to smoothly collect taxes and bolster their revenues. The intention was not to create a system that would ensure even-handed justice. It was a police meant for the ruler with an idea to subdue the subject; and any thoughts of giving the citizen of a country under British occupation a real sense of fortitude in terms of justice was farthest from the minds of the makers of the Act in question. Independent India thus inherited a police set up which was for the rulers and had no place for accommodating the aspirations of the citizens of an independent country.

The need for reforming the police systems in India has been felt for a very long time. Even the British government recognised it, and brought in reforms, though they were meant only to keep the running of the affairs of the state smoothly, and had little to do with real sense of justice for the citizen.

In the last three decades and more, there have been many efforts to examine the ways to bring about changes in the manner in which the police functioned. A serious effort was made by Government of India when the National Police Commission (NPC) was set up in 1979. The Commission produced eight reports including a Model Police Act. However, none of the major recommendations were adopted by any government. Having observed the unwillingness of the government for making any move to bring about reforms, two former Directors- General of Police filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court in 1996 asking the Court to direct governments to implement the NPC recommendations. It was only a decade later in 2006 that the Court delivered its verdict. In what is referred to as the Prakash Singh case, the Supreme Court ordered that reforms must take place. The Centre, States and Union Territories were directed to comply with seven binding directives that would kick-start reform. These directives encapsulated the vision of improvement generated since 1979. The Court required immediate implementation of its orders through executive orders and by bringing new Police Acts.  The Court issued seven important directives to the Centre and the State governments. Uttarakhand was one of the earliest states to enact the Uttarakhand Police Act 2007 in compliance of the Apex Court’s order. It will be instructive to see how far we have been compliant with the spirit of the Court’s orders by analysing the progress on each of the seven main directives.

Directive One

Constitute a State Security Commission (SSC) to: (i) Ensure that the state government does not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on the police (ii) Lay down broad policy guideline and (iii) Evaluate the performance of the state police.

Uttarakhand made a SSC in compliance of this directive. The Chief Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of SSC. Mr Ajit Doval, the current NSA, was also included in the Commission. One meeting of the Commission was held in 2008. Thereafter, no meetings have been held. Obviously, the three important functions assigned to the Commission have been completely neglected.

Directive Two

Ensure that the DGP is appointed through merit based transparent process and serves for a minimum tenure of two years. There have been controversial appointments, and transparency has not been unquestionable. The tenure also was made a laughing stock when incumbent DGP J S Pande was moved out to accommodate V R Pant who had only a few months service left before superannuation. It was baffling that Pande was moved out in just a little over one year, and even more curious was the appointment of his successor, Pant, only for a few months.

Directive Three

Ensure that other police officers on operational duties (including Superintendents of Police in-charge of a district and Station House Officers in-charge of a police station) are also provided a minimum tenure of two years. There have been umpteen instances when officers were transferred before completion of the prescribed tenure. In fact, to begin with, the Court’s directions were diluted when the tenure for some levels was fixed for as low as one year only. In the case of Jagat Ram Joshi, Superintendent of Police, the High Court intervened to direct the government to post him back as SP Dehradun because the tenure as laid down in the Act was not completed. Yet, the officer was persuaded to accept a posting as SP Kashipur to save the government from embarrassment. This rap on the knuckles, though has not deterred the government from posting officers out before the whole tenure is completed.

Directive Four

Separate the investigation and law and order functions of the police. There was an effort to create special investigation-only cadres in some of the important police stations of the state about six years ago. Unfortunately , the practice was discontinued after some time.      

Directive Five

Set up a Police Establishment Board (PEB) to decide transfers, postings, promotions and other Service-related matters of police officers of and below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police and make recommendations on postings and transfers above the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police. A PEB is in existence, and has had many meetings over the years. The PEB is headed by the DGP and comprises of the senior-most officers of the department. However, a highly-placed source in the Police HQ has revealed that most of the key appointments are first decided at political level, and the PEB only endorses what trickles down. In effect, this directive too is not being complied in spirit.

Directive Six

Set up a Police Complaints Authority (PCA) at state level to inquire into public complaints against police officers of and above the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in cases of serious misconduct, including custodial death, grievous hurt, or rape in police custody and at district levels to inquire into public complaints against the police personnel below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in cases of serious misconduct. There is a PCA functioning in the state. I have been told by one of the past Chairmen of the Authority that in many cases the DGP and Government have not been complying with the directions for punitive action to be taken against policemen issued from time to time.

Directive Seven

Set up a National Security Commission (NSC) at the union level to prepare a panel for selection and placement of Chiefs of the Central Police Organisations (CPO) with a minimum tenure of two years. This is a provision meant for the Central government.

                The foregoing analysis makes it amply clear that despite the alacrity with which the Police Act was enacted in the year 2007 by the State legislature, the government has not been adhering to the provisions the Act has; and wherever there is compliance in word, the spirit of reform has been sadly missing.

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