A police force that is underpaid, overworked, stressed out, disrespected by their superiors and looked upon with suspicion by the public they serve – the combination spells disaster for the citizens of any country. On June 4, as many as 50,000 cops from across the state were expected to go on mass leave to protest against the near-inhuman under conditions within which they are forced to work. This was halted because of a hurried intervention by the top brass, who held roll call parades at their respective divisions and lent an ear to the grievances of the cops. Before that, it was made clear to every protester that taking leave on Saturday would have serious repercussions, suspensions included.
The average constable, who earns up to Rs 20,000 a month, cannot afford to take this chance. The government is now exulting in its apparent success. A dubious victory, earned by depleting the last traces of morale the constabulary had left, after working twelve hour shifts and being treated like common odd-job men by the very VIPs they put their lives on the line to protect.
The Constitution does not allow the army or the police force the right to unionise or protest, which is one thing. The government, which should have taken action, only seems to be telling the force that it doesn’t care. This is why AAP offered full solidarity to police force across the state and that’s why we're lobbying on their behalf. In Delhi, we have declared an award of Rs 1 crore for army and police officers who give up their lives in the line of duty.
It’s shocking how few people are aware of the lives our policemen lead, even as criticism flows freely. The lower rung officers come from very ordinary backgrounds, usually rural areas and jump at the safety of a government job. They earn a pittance and don’t get the security they had hoped for either. I remember seeing a traffic cop once, standing on the road with his legs crossed because he needed the toilet. He told me he had a sugar problem and said, "There is heavy traffic now. I will go later." He would have had to find a hotel, too. We, as members of the public, rarely see all this. We’re content to sit in our air-conditioned cars and talk of garbage or bad roads, while these guys get out there and do their jobs, no matter what that entails.
The protest prompted us to write to the Home Minister, CM and the governor, mentioning the main terms and demands of the police force – all of which are very reasonable. We have asked for a reduction in the number of police involved in VIP duty for starters and that they be given independence in terms of investigating powers. There is too much political interference, which makes our cops appear biased and inefficient in the public eye.
It is to be noted that the Police Act, drafted in 1861, not long after the Sepoy Mutiny, making them the private There are no monarchs anymore and we have elected leaders, but the role of the police remains the same. This is more than just about low salaries or lack of leave, the time has come for major reforms.
Not long ago, thousands of garment workers took to the streets in protest. That was a classic example of the proverbial rubber band snapping. Everything has a finite amount of elasticity. You stretch it beyond that and it will break. Our cops are no better than bonded labour - they work for people who decide their salaries (which is lower than that of their counterparts in neighbouring states), force them to make up for vacancies that should rightly be filled and use them as pawns in elaborate political games. And what's more, they have nobody to turn to - a number of senior officers denounced the protest at a press conference a few days ago – if they don’t stand up for their men, who will? With nobody to turn to and total insensitivity from all sides, how can we possibly expect the cops to stand up for us and protect us?
We need to stop thinking of our cops only when we have a traffic problem, a theft, or a safety issue. If we made a sincere attempt to treat them better, then I'm sure we will have ourselves the police force we deserve!
(The writer is State Convener and a member of the National Executive, Aam Aadmi Party)
