THRISSUR: Director-General of Police Jacob Punnoose has told the police to be bold and determined while handling communal violence. Inaugurating a seminar on ‘The role of police in promotion of communal harmony and national integration’ at the Kerala Police Academy at Ramavarmapuram, near here on Thursday, he said that ‘if force is necessary to put out the violence, do not hesitate to use it’.
He, however, cautioned that communal issues are highly sensitive and the maximum caution has to be exercised to see that the situation does not go out of control.
He pointed out that more than 95 percent of the people are against communal disharmony and in any communal violence only a handful people are the trouble-makers. Police should be able to understand this and identify them for handling the situation effectively.
The DGP said that while handling communal violence, police should exhibit the determination that they are in the spot with the authority to put out violence and re-establish law and order in the area. The boldness and determination on the part of the police would make those engaged in violence to backtrack .
IGP Thrissur Range P Vijayanand presided over the function. Former Gujarat DGP P G J Namboodiri, senior official of the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, Delhi, Tripurari Rai, Metropolitan Mar Aprem, Imam Mohammed Faisi Onampilly and others spoke.
One DySP and 3 Circle-Inspectors from each of the 17 police districts attended the seminar.
B S Mohammed Yasin, IGP (Training) and Director of Kerala Police Academy welcomed the gathering and P U Joseph proposed a vote of thanks.