DailyPost 2708
INTRIGUING SHADES OF LAW AND ORDER
The differential dealing of law and order by the police and powers that control it, forces them to get into a bind more often than not. It happens very often when the issues are critical or the clashes need to be brought under control at the earliest. Understanding, what would flare up and what would be the proportionate nature of the force required to douse it, is the trickiest issue for the police and over the years no great effort has ever been to improve professional expertise in this regard. The effectiveness of the police law and order preparedness is generally shown to the world by the numbers deployed.
Of late the obstructionist logistics of a battle scale has made its way, with the tech peppering at most times, cameras, drones etc. Rubber bullets, water jets and tear gas shells remain the frontal interface. Had law and order skills of the police developed into an art / science and beyond it a practice in this country, commensurate to modern day requirements? Or is it each to his will or the local police manager’s understanding of the situation. More often than his understanding, quite often he may play a second fiddle, with government / political leadership usurping the law-and-order decision making process. What is of utmost importance today is whether law and order is handled as a pure law and order issue or it is seen through the prism of politics and acted upon accordingly.
There would have been by now very clear-cut SOPs of handling law and order situations in this country, which could have spelt out everything, leaving very little to discretion. The standard response to size of the gathering, the nature of its movement, its history, nature of permissions, preventive and other actions, use of media and communication, should have become a drill by now. Protests; area wise / scale wise, in peace areas, in troubled areas, in border or Naxalite areas and what not could be desegregated for a standard professional response. The purpose of the law-and-order arrangements has to made very clear. The slippery issues range from kid gloves treatment to getting in war mode to totally leaving the scene empty for turmoil.
Turning a blind eye has not been unheard and more so when there are communal clashes. From “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes a bit,” to the agitating farmers being ploughed by a jeep to death, the Indian law and order arrangement are replete with instances, which keeps on being repeated in public utterances, bringing glory to no one, certainly not the police. There is not much of choice between being foolhardy or overzealous or dictated by non-professional masters. A nemesis scenario is the likely outcome. The police operations can be straightjacketed in this regard, provided there is will to do so. Doing anything different or doing anything more or less than the mandated should go through a harsh approval process. Do we have the requisite expertise and spine to deliver, what we are mandated to? At times it is a media battle too.
LAW AND ORDER IS A SHOW OF ITS OWN KIND, THE MEDIA HAS ADDED ANOTHER DIMENSION TO IT.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.