Director General of Poice Jaspal Singh appears to have changed strategy after facing flak over five policemen from the anti-terrorism squad caught on video extorting money from an unauthorized casino owner in Margao. While addressing the media on Friday, the DGP said he would not proceed with an inquiry unless a written complaint is filed before the police. The DGP added that the police cannot take action based on allegations made in thin air.
The tone and tenor of the DGP statement suggest that any incident that comes before the police, even if it is criminal in nature, will be investigated and acted upon only if a formal complaint is filed. In other words, the police will not take suo motto cognizance. The climb down from the earlier stand on Tuesday, where the DGP spoke of a high-level probe, is surprising.
It may be recalled, earlier this week, an unauthorized casino owner in Margao released a clip of CCTV footage showing five ATS personnel extorting Rs 10 lakh from him. The video shows one PI and constables on the premises going ahead with the transaction.
The DGP’s action has come into sharp focus since the policemen in question were swiftly moved (without any written orders) to the Valpoi Police Training Centre with no “suspension, pending inquiry”. So the question is, why were these policemen shifted to Valpoi if there was no complaint against them?
An SP who is learnt to be behind the extortion move and who is currently on leave was also sent an email summoning him to the headquarters. There was also a meeting of police department heads. If it all boils down to a complaint, why did the police bosses feel the heat? The DGP is aware that the casino owner will not come forward to register a complaint because he was running an unauthorized business; the extortion money comes into play here to give the illegality police protection. A loophole is being exploited to give the errant policemen an easy way out.
If the police bosses believe in zero tolerance to corruption, then “complaint” should not be a pre-requisite, especially when the crime is as clear as daylight. At best, the clip could have been authenticated and verified. One wonders if the DGP would apply the same logic to all crimes and criminals across the State.
Strange are the ways situations are assessed and laws interpreted. For example, a few months back, the North Goa SP stated that police would only crack down on sound violations if there were complaints. The cops would not act on their own against illegality, even though there are explicit orders from the High Court to observe the sound regulations in force. Strange are the ways of the enforcement system.
The DGP’s flip-flop in the extortion case smacks of a cover-up to shield the black sheep in the force and shows that even brazen corruption can pass on the pretext of not having a registered complaint. This is the height of the State’s crusade against corruption and exposes the hollowness of all the trumpeting that’s going on against graft.
