The word Police means Public Officer for Legal Investigation and Criminal Emergencies. The draft Goa Police Bill was introduced in the Assembly in 2000 after suggestions from the public. I attended a NGO called meeting to discuss and finalize public suggestions. In 2009 it was sent to a Select Committee, delayed and it finally lapsed! Again in 2012, the Bill went up to the Parrikar government and was not brought up. A new Bill was drafted in 2014 but still not deemed important enough to be passed. The government decided to introduce the Bill in 2016 but wisely backed out due to pressure from civil society organizations and citizens demanding public consultation before finalization.
It is understood that the government will now consult the Central Police Bill model which will be the basis for a new draft. I wonder if there will be public consultation and how long it will be kept in cold storage! It is reported that the CM informed that in 2020 the government notified the Goa Police rules under the Police Act 1861 and Goa Police have been following the Bombay Police Manual. These are colonial Acts and rules made to suppress democracy! We must remember that law and order is a State subject. If our politicians and police authorities are truly democratic, they will expedite the Police Bill in public interest. Police have to get back their honour, dignity, respect and humanity to be trusted by the public.
Everywhere in India we find police are the handmaiden of the party in power and not a citizen’s police whose investigations and reports are vital and can prejudice the judges who have to basically rely on them. The process of justice is leading to far more injustice. The courts are overburdened with urgent political cases, justice delayed is justice denied with impunity to the authorities and crime correction systems seem to create more crime! And what is worse, this system has been going on for so long with disastrous consequences that gross violation of conduct fails to evoke any worthwhile response unless someone complains. Atrocities/ failed law and order happening all over and exposed horrifically in Manipur should never have been allowed to happen. No worthwhile action was taken until a video surfaced 77 days after the incident! Law and order machinery needs to always be held to account.
The first exhaustive National Police Commission Report in 1977 pointed out inefficiencies of our police force administration, organization training, public relations and redressal of grievances. Since then there have been various studies and commissions, a few of important ones are the Padmanabhaniah, Malinath, Gore Committee(1971), an exhaustive Julio Ribeiro Report ordered by the Supreme Court in 1998. The Indian Police Foundation (IPF) held a workshop on September 22 2018 which is Police Reforms Day. This was attended by police officers from all over India, senior politicians and jurists, the theme headlined “Without fear or favour ”. The IPF Chairman, retired IPS officer responsible for kick starting police reforms in the Supreme Court vide the Prakash Singh versus Union of India where in the Apex Court in 2006, issued six directives for the States and one for the Centre. The court's main thrust was better security for the people, minimizing political influence and interference, ensuring human rights, operational autonomy and enforcement of rule of law under all circumstances.
Despite this landmark judgment, and all the previous Commissions/reports, the political class with the help of bureaucrats and vested interests has managed ingeniously to pass Acts or Legislative Orders which do not strictly comply with the directions, to keep police under their control. This could happen deviously because the Court ruled that the directives would hold until the Centre and States legislated their own laws which they cleverly did, but mostly legitimizing the status quo. It is high time Goa has its own Police Act and Goa Police Manual for a democratic people’s police!
There is one law for the people and another for politicians, very evident with police officers seen touching their feet or ensuring VIP treatment even in jail. People have gone to jail/suffering due to wrong judgments proved later because of police faulty investigation. FIRs are not properly recorded or avoided, statements doctored and victims terrorized, custodial deaths reported. Police act discriminately in many cases for example taking lucrative sides in dowry harassment and vendetta. Without the much needed vital police reforms, the autonomy, integrity of the police have mostly disappeared and such things as encounter killings are reportedly State sponsored! There is a crying need for complete revamp of the police force into a lawful police service.
Three questions one to the Supreme Court, one to government and one to people.1) Once the Apex Court gives a judgment, is it not its responsibility to follow up in public interest? 2) Economic development requires stable law and order which prioritizes prevention and must hold primacy over building economic superstructure? 3) Should not the people who suffer because of the acts of commission/omission of the police raise their voice so strongly, that it reverberates in the halls of Vidhan Sabhas, Parliament and Supreme Court? The PM has spoken of SMART police (sensitive, mobile, accountable, responsible and techno-savvy). When will we experience this?
