Image used for representational purpose.
Image used for representational purpose.

Kerala police must know duty, autonomy go hand in hand

Close to 30 incidents of police atrocities, including custodial torture, sexual harassment, blackmail, bribery, drug peddling, and even thefts, have been reported in the recent past.

If there is something common in the first and second Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF governments, it is the shoddy performance of the home department. A pet idea of the CM giving a free hand to the police without any political control was initially hailed as a progressive act on the part of the government. But a slew of incidents over time have subverted the idea of autonomy for the police force.

Close to 30 incidents of police atrocities, including custodial torture, sexual harassment, blackmail, bribery, drug peddling, and even thefts, have been reported in the recent past. Going by the National Human Rights Commission data, custodial deaths in Kerala witnessed a sharp spike in the last few years. In 2018–19 alone, the state recorded eight custodial deaths. The latest in the series of police atrocities is the POCSO case against two senior cops. The incident involving station house officers reflects the extent of decay that has set into the force. That such senior cops chose to zero in on the most vulnerable victims is evidence of the rot that seeped into the force.

It is not just the opposition complaining about the highhandedness of the state police. Several senior leaders, including CPM Central Committee Member P K Sreemathy and Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer, have spoken out against the atrocities committed by the police officers. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who heads the home department, has been looking the other way even as his party cadre has been criticising how the home department is functioning. Surprisingly, a veteran politician like Pinarayi, known for his administrative capabilities, is earning the sobriquet of being one of the most ineffective home ministers the state has seen. He should take a lesson or two from his former party colleague Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, widely perceived as one of the best home ministers Kerala has ever had.

Ugly warts that keep popping up from the police force are doing lots of damage to the socio-political ecosystem of the state. The increasing frequency with which reports of aberrations on the part of police officers are coming out shows the systemic rot that has set into the police force. Ad hoc measures are no solution if the government is serious about addressing the issues. Stringent disciplinary actions coupled with total cleansing are the need of the hour.

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