E-Paper
HT Chandigarh debate: It’s time to quarantine Chandigarh against crimes
It’s not easy for citizens to live with the Covid-19 threat and then suffer an invasion of criminal gangs on a new mission: To extort money from soft targets, apart carrying out their regular robbing and thieving activities. The administration and the police need to step in immediately to ensure that the public, its patience already tested by lockdowns and curfews, is now not held to ransom by such criminals
Root out criminals from society
The Swachh Bharat project should go beyond cleaning of cities and also eliminate criminals, dishonest and corrupt government representatives and officials from society.
Policemen need professional training and skill sets to handle law and order. Give them better pay packages, better, modern and user-friendly equipment, especially bulletproof vests. The attacks on police personnel should be tried under laws applicable to terrorists for undermining the legitimate authority of the state.
Policemen need to undertake an image makeover to instil fear in criminals. There should be zero tolerance to corruption and those who indulge in such activities should be subject to censures and suspensions from service for not doing their duty.
Politicisation of the police force should end, since this has corroded discipline and made police officials the puppets of parties in power. Policemen should be recalled from VIP duties and assigned duties at local police stations.
There should be a beat constable system in place in localities and sectors. Locals can also be appointed as honorary citizen wardens. This has been an effective tool to control petty crimes in Delhi NCR, Mumbai and most cities of Gujarat, especially burglaries, chain snatching and vehicle thefts.
Physical fitness of cops is a major area of concern. Regular yoga and meditation camps should be held for them.
Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Zirakpur
What about our moral behaviour?
Other than advising that security be beefed up in the city, what else does the administrator have to say? It reminds me of a cartoon published in a daily when terrorism was rife in Punjab, showing an extra drum being placed at a naka to stop the movement of terrorists when orders were issued by the authorities then to strengthen the security system. The police have so far done a commendable job to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, some of them have lost their lives and others have been seriously wounded while ensuring social distancing. One should not forget that police personnel too are human beings. They are overworked. We need to strengthen the force and recruit more personnel so that the men and women are not overworked. It is difficult to get information beforehand about personal rivalries, unless individuals inform the police and seek protection. Maybe one is stealing ornaments from temples because of starvation due to unemployment after the Covid-19 lockdown. We always talk of corrupt police but we never talk about our own moral behaviour and financial corruption. If the business deals are fair, rivalries will not crop up.
Gurdev Singh, Mohali
Better coordination required between tricity police
Mohali, Chandigarh and Panchkula police should work together with greater coordination and be more vigilant. Patrolling should be increased. The courts must also ensure that habitual offenders are removed from society for extended periods of time. The public must also be educated about steps to be followed should they become the victims of robbers or thieves and report all details to the police. Advanced CCTV cameras should be installed everywhere in the tricity. Regular nakas should be set up at as many points as possible. An operational helpline should be set up for people to complain against crimes. The police should have access to modern weapons. Rewards should be given to those who provide valuable information to the police.
Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh
Equip police with high-tech gadgets
During the Covid-19 lockdown anti-social elements were invisible out of fear of contracting the infection. However, after recent relaxations they have become active again. The recent shootouts and temple theft have created fear in the city. Certain steps need to be taken immediately such as ensuring intensive patrolling as the presence of men in khaki instils fear among criminals. Having more police beats and nakas, functional latest CCTV cameras and streetlights, PCR vans at critical points, especially at night, is imperative. The police must be provided latest high-tech gadgets for self-defence. Co-ordination among all the police stations is vital as increased vigil at state and UT borders will prevent the criminals from escaping. The law must not spare culprits who enjoy the patronage of VIPs or have an unholy nexus with the police.
Usha Verma, Chandigarh
Time to ask some tough questions
Welcome to the new normal after Covid-19, when criminals have suddenly decided they will scare the living daylights out of tax paying citizens and extort money from them, very much like D-Company during the bad old days in Mumbai. It’s a joke. Associates of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who as we all know is now in a jail in Rajasthan, say they have been communicating via cellphones with him to arrange for arms and ammunition and then identify and instil fear in soft targets and extort money from them. First of all, how is Bishnoi making calls from prison? Who is in charge of that prison and why is he not immediately made accountable for letting a dreaded gangster conduct his “business” from behind bars as if it’s his corporate office? Why is this man not being put in a maximum security isolated cell instead of running this dreadful show? Why are the courts not doing anything to stop honest taxpaying public from being held to ransom by such gangs? Is it not enough for people to live with the threat of the pandemic? Should they now be subject to threat and intimidation by criminals who have no fear because they have protection from politicians and the state? Let us start asking questions first and demanding that law enforcement authorities and administrators answer them first.
BL Sharma
Identify troublemakers when they are young
The government should beef up security and install CCTV cameras to curb crime in and around city. Nakas should be put up at different parts of the city and in the border areas too. The government should maintain a separate database of criminals . Photographs and details of those wanted in criminal cases should be put online on police websites to inform the public about them. Plainclothesmen should be deployed extensively to keep an eye on proclaimed offenders. Proper verification of migrants, paying guests and tenants should be done from time to time. The government also needs to be more strict while issuing arms and ammunition licences. The masses need to learn defence techniques and to be more proactive and alert to protect themselves. The government should also start a project to identify troublemakers at the college level and work to rehabilitate them so that they do not take to a life of crime.
Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali
City beautiful now playground of gangs
Two shootouts in three days is nothing new as crimes have become routine here. Many criminal acts of murder and rape remain untraced in the city even after decades. It is tragic that a progressive and once-beautiful city like Chandigarh is not a peaceful place anymore and has turned into a hub of criminal activities with easy accessibility and a safe haven for antisocial elements. Criminal gangs are operating from behind the high walls of prisons safely. Picking up their targets, arranging vehicles, weapons and shooters to execute their plans smoothly without fail. They have the audacity and resources to carry out their nefarious activities when the whole country is under lockdown due to Covid-19 and security forces are engaged with many other responsibilities. Until and unless all such criminal gangs are neutralised with better intelligence, sophisticated gadgets and means of communication, the citizens will continue to live in fear. The tricity’s security agencies should ensure better coordination to crush all such elements ruthlessly.
Suresh Verma, Chandigarh
Keep young people occupied
The rot has already set in the system. Young men today think are making a style statement by posting pictures on Facebook holding guns, as if it’s the most glamorous thing in the world. Look at their dependency on drugs, their fondness for songs on flashy cars, weapons and alcohol. Today there is no outlet for them to expend their energies and they think that working for a gang is the best way to earn a quick buck, not realising that the consequences of such acts. No police bandobust or CCTV camera is going to stop crimes, especially now with the economy on the downswing and people out of jobs. The immediate focus of state governments and administrations is to exhort industries and businesses that have started work to create more job avenues. Then, when the pandemic is under control and social distancing not required, small village-level sporting competitions with attractive prizes should be set up to keep the youth active. Other measures can also be taken later such as evening gatherings at villages where documentaries on the lives of great people or movies with positive messages are shown to help in their moral development.
AK Gupta, Mohali
