Unruly Cops

The manner in which a qualified and trained police officer handled—or mishandled—a rather small situation in the heart of the Assam capital on Friday by physically assaulting a delivery boy has not only caused strong resentment across the state but has also brought shame on the police force in general and Guwahati Police in particular. The particular police officer whose unlawful behaviour went viral after a passerby had videographed the entire incident on her mobile phone was the officer in charge of the Panbazar police station, which is virtually the Guwahati police station, the most important police station in the entire state. According to media reports, the said police officer had undergone more than one training course on community-friendly policing and human rights, apart from having “successfully” completed his induction training after he was selected for the Assam Police. The incident, in which a delivery boy—a graduate from Cotton University—had broken traffic rules by driving his two-wheeler through a no-entry point, could have been resolved by booking a case under the relevant law. Instead, the officer in charge of the Panbazar police station chose to take the law into his hands, thus becoming an object of condemnation and ridicule. In the process, the said officer has also brought a bad name to Assam Police. Though the Director General of Police has placed the said officer under suspension, that is not a punishment. What is required is exemplary punishment, so that while the erring officer learns a lesson, it also becomes an eye-opener for all other officers in the police force who have a tendency of forgetting that they are not above the law and that they are the most important custodians of law, apart from being protectors of the citizens. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, is right when he says that the primary duty of every police personnel, and more so of every police officer, is to safeguard citizens with respect and dignity. He has emphasized the need to avoid excessive force against civilians and suggested that personnel unwilling to adopt reforms, accountability, and compassion should consider leaving the service. This is a clear signal from the chief minister that the erring police officer should put in his papers and look for some other job befitting his behaviour and temperament; a bouncer in a night bar would probably be the best opening for him.