Re: Somebody has to sort it out

[Npsingh123@aol.com]

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Anyone who has grown up and lived in India with his eyes and ears open knows
that cases like the one described happen. The reason there is so little
public outrage against these is that over time people both in and outside the
government develop a thick skin, if not for any other reason, then for
protecting our own mind from getting crazy thinking about these things. We
tend to rationalize, till one day the knock is on our own door. IPS officers
are not from outside the society. The ordinary people, the journalists, the
writers, the teachers, the religious leaders are all equally culpable. Look
at how much time and attention is devoted to the story about match- fixing in
the Indian media and you hardly have that many eye brows raised on police
excesses which are commonplace. The first step to change is to acknowledge
that there is a need for change.

We need a powerful Police Complaints Authority which is independent of the
police, maybe under judicial control, which handles complaints regarding
police misconduct from ordinary citizens.

We need a locally elected Peace Officer with magisterial power  for every
police station jurisdiction who has oversight of the working of his area
police station including power to inspect lock ups and interview the
detainees.

We need each police station to have a community relations program to bring
the police close to the people whom it serves.

We need certainly to enhance the salaries and benefits of the average
policeman to reflect the importance of their work.

And don't tell me that eliminating poverty of itself will change the state of
human rights in India.


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