R.K. Raghavan
Indian Police Service, Retired, former Director Central Bureau of Investigation, leading authority on Indian police
Police Performance : An Insider’s Experiences
Abstract
Handling religious conflict is not something new to the Indian Police. Their experience goes back to pre-Independence (1947) British India when it was a principal task to maintain harmony between warring Hindus and Muslims in some parts of the country. This was not made easy by the ambivalence of the alien ruler who had a stake in the two groups remaining apart from each other and not join causes against the former in a bid to wrest independence. An added complication was the personal predilections of policemen who belonged to either group. The brunt was borne by the District Police headed by a Superintendent of Police (SP) who took orders for quelling riots from the District Magistrate, invariably a British whose knowledge of local trends was superficial.
Independence from the British in 1947 and the formation of Pakistan, solely on religious grounds, brought in its own problems. Immediately after Partition there were serious riots on either side of the border, with Hindus and Muslims driven by religious passion killing each other. The communal frenzy continued to be in evidence in the decades that followed Independence. Policemen belonging to the majority Hindu community were tested for their objectivity in the field. Some passed the test, and many did not. In many Hindu-Muslim clashes during the past three to four decades, serious charges of bias and consequent apathy have been leveled against Hindu policemen. Several Commissions of inquiry confirmed these and suggested various measures to enforce police accountability for objective responses. The decision to hold the District Magistrate and District SP responsible for lack of control if a situation goes out of control has greatly helped in localizing clashes. The Federal government has formed a Rapid Action Force (RAF) within the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to dispatch to trouble spots. This has brought in certain neutrality in action to quell disorder. Training methods have focused on impartial police conduct in the field. The media has also played its part to highlight any biased police conduct.
Independence from the British in 1947 and the formation of Pakistan, solely on religious grounds, brought in its own problems. Immediately after Partition there were serious riots on either side of the border, with Hindus and Muslims driven by religious passion killing each other. The communal frenzy continued to be in evidence in the decades that followed Independence. Policemen belonging to the majority Hindu community were tested for their objectivity in the field. Some passed the test, and many did not. In many Hindu-Muslim clashes during the past three to four decades, serious charges of bias and consequent apathy have been leveled against Hindu policemen. Several Commissions of inquiry confirmed these and suggested various measures to enforce police accountability for objective responses. The decision to hold the District Magistrate and District SP responsible for lack of control if a situation goes out of control has greatly helped in localizing clashes. The Federal government has formed a Rapid Action Force (RAF) within the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to dispatch to trouble spots. This has brought in certain neutrality in action to quell disorder. Training methods have focused on impartial police conduct in the field. The media has also played its part to highlight any biased police conduct.
