Abstract

Group violence is now a common phenomenon in India. Whether it is a traffic accident, protest about water shortage, reservation issue or perceived slight to some political leader, a mob emerges from nowhere and in an orgy of violence destroys property and physically assaults anyone caught in the milieu. The large numbers of riotous situations faced by the police on a daily basis are simply staggering and perhaps one of the highest in the world. Poor governance, inability to meet rising expectations and absence of standard conflict resolution mechanisms are perhaps some explanations for growing trends of group violence in the country. However, group violence is containable. Mob violence occurs in stages and takes time before the agitators are able to gain substantial strength to cause wide spread destruction. Even though police forces are ill-trained, lack resources and police-citizen ratio is alarmingly low, nevertheless Indian police demonstrate repeatedly that they can contain mob violence effectively. The major factor in diffusing violent situations is invariably the role of police leadership. Wherever the SP or some other senior officer is determined and acts professionally, the mob is quickly dispersed and the violence is contained. This raises questions about police performance in specific cases where it fails to contain violence. In particular, large scale group violence where hundreds of lives are lost demand close scrutiny of police performance. In this paper, two cases of group violence in Bihar are presented to assess the role of local and senior police officials. The anti-Sikh riots at Palamau in 1984 and anti-Muslim riots at Bhagalpur in 1989 provide insight into organizational dynamics of Indian police and help explain police performance in handling group violence. The paper argues that apart from the well known factor of political control that affects police functions in the country, organizational matters of training, resources, communications and leadership are also significant factors. While the attempt to shield the police from direct political interference is necessary, attention must also be paid towards organizational culture, capabilities and managerial ethos. Some recommendations for police reforms different from Police Commission Reports and Supreme Court Directives will be presented for further discussion.