Policemen have once again hit the headlines for running roughshod, flexing muscle in public and ending up as law-breakers. In one incident, a head constable attached to Ponda police station was suspended and a First Information Report was filed against him after a 4-minute video went viral showing him and his colleagues mercilessly assaulting a fast-food stall owner at Marcel. Surprisingly, the police could not put up a defence and all the accused in the attack managed to get bail within hours.
On the same day, a police inspector was involved in a brawl at Dodamarg only to be confronted by angry residents and taken to the police station. The Dodamarg police registered a non-cognizable offence against the Goa police inspector who was later allowed to leave after apologising to those involved.
Goa has been a witness to policemen intimidating, threatening and even assaulting common citizens, officers involved in sexual offences, constables forging medical certificates to avail leaves, using fake birth certificates to manipulate retirement records, several engaging in womanising, extortion, bribery, etc. The list goes on. Lest we forget, the Saligao restaurant brawl where 8 policemen went berserk in July 2022 damaging property, urinating within the premises and abusing the proprietor claiming they were over-billed.
Police are considered guardians of the law, and they are duty-bound to instil discipline and inspire confidence in the people of the land. However, the track record of some prominent names in the force has left an indelible blemish on the force and exposed the dark side of khaki. It may not be appropriate to generalise the entire force for the sins of a few, but the worrying part is that enough deterrents are not being set as indiscipline keeps raising its ugly head time and again.
The police leadership admits that there are a few rotten apples in the department, but sadly does very little to pluck out the bad ones. There is action initiated, and inquiries launched, but very few have been taken to their logical conclusion. Call it political interference or a sheer lack of intent to crack down on one’s own men, the black sheep in khaki are getting away with crime. Agreed that there are internal investigations that are not made public, but that has not helped in any way. Policemen who have been given the long rope or manipulated their way through, have only gained confidence in beating the system, time and again. The constable in the Mardol incident has been a habitual offender but has still managed to live a charmed life. The Dodamarg incident has had no repercussions back home.
There are bound to be “rotten apples” in every force, and it may be humanly impossible to have a perfect team. The concern is over not doing enough to cleanse the force. Police managing to find their way out of the worst of crimes they committed, and getting reinstated after a brief suspension speaks volumes of a frail system.
As long as the police bosses find reasons to defend erring cops, Goa will continue to find abusive and brash personnel flexing their pride, inflated ego and that massive rush of power.
