E-Paper
Guest Column| Fault lines run deep in Punjab Police
Lower-rank police personnel lack periodic training and vested interests by seniors plus political compulsions act as promoters of inefficiency.
The brutal assault on Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath, a serving Indian Army officer, and his 22-year-old son, Angad, in Patiala on March 13 is disgraceful to say the least. Over the years, training, discipline, conscientiousness and righteousness on the part of law and order enforcers, the police, has degenerated to an abysmal low. Their lack of a holistic and knowledgeable approach often lands them in a blaze, forcing them to resort to firefighting at which they are gaining an almost 10 upon 10.
The fault lines run deep. Just a little background to the police way of functioning will be in place. In more cases than one, it is the directive style of command and an even more directive style of control. It means that quite a free hand is accorded to lower-level officials because the vastness of the charter of duties and inability either consciously or due to lack of time to have a tight control on the proceedings of the task at hand.
All this is presumably factored in the functionality of the police force in the form of an educated and competent leadership of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, who are among the brightest in the country. Their training at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad, further polishes them with regard to aspects of policing, detailed insight in the laws of the country, protocols and such like things. At the lower levels, the personnel recruited at various posts have the mandatory education levels and a well thought out regimen instils basic training at the state academies. Well then where lie the fault lines? It is the inability to evolve and the lack of versatility. Periodic training capsules are lacking and vested interests by seniors plus political compulsions act as promoters of inefficiency.
Appalling encounter
I am reminded of 1992-93, when we were deployed in Punjab to conduct anti-militancy duties. I was a team leader as a Major commanding a squadron and we were to operate within a geographical area and carry out tasks like establishment of vehicle checkposts, night and day patrolling on foot and mobile, respectively. Local police personnel were allotted to each team. My first assignment of a vehicle check-post was an eye-opener. The plan adopted was to establish a barrier, stop vehicles and a check by the police. The army was in command and deployed to act as a quick reaction team in case of a contingency.
To my surprise, the first vehicle signalled to stop was a motorcycle with the pillion-rider draped in a bukkal (blanket). The driver of the motorcycle told the policeman, a sub inspector, who was to carry out the check that the pillion-rider was running fever and needed to be rushed to hospital. “Aap check karlo uski nabaz se,” the driver said. The cop put his hand under the blanket and remarked, “Eh taan bahut garam he, le jao le jao jaldi (He is running fever, take him to the doctor immediately).” I sensed something amiss and ordered the quick reaction team to stop the motorcycle. We found the pillion-rider was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle, whose barrel was what the cop had touched and didn’t want to pursue the matter for obvious reasons.
Training and motivation
Once such matters of impropriety, lack of training and dedication to job at hand came to the fore, the feedback was sent to higher headquarters. The orders came to hold training capsules on conducting operations involving aggression, tact and soft skills, plus, of course physical fitness since they were hesitant to undertake foot patrolling on some flimsy pretext or the other.
Theoretical sessions educated them on issues of civic propriety. The leadership of that time ensured the police were trained and motivated to undertake missions and eradicate the menace of militancy in the border state. Ancient Greek poet-soldier Archilochus rightly said, “When we don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” avnishrms59@gmail.com
The writer is a Chandigarh-based freelance contributor. Views expressed are personal.
