Kerala Police Excesses: The Buck Stops Nowhere

Glint Staff
Fri, 23-12-2016 06:10:20 PM ;

pinarayi vijayan

 

The morale of the police force in Kerala and its independent nature are at stake following the recent developments which snowballed around certain arrests charging UAPA and on allegedly flimsy reasons. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, state secretary, CPI (M),  himself came out publicly among other senior leaders of the party including former chief minister V.S. Achuthanadan against the actions taken by the police. While Kodiyeri Balakrishnan put all the blame on the police, the others were outspoken in questioning the style of the chief minister in using the police force. Anathalavattom Anandan, state secretariat member had gone to the extent of saying that Pinarayi Vijayan’s duty  is to implement the policy of the party, not that of his own. Nor was it the duty of the party to own and justify the personal policy of the chief minister, he said in a channel interview.

 

The confession by the police chief Loknath Behra also vouched for the fact that in the case of some incidents like the arrests of the writer Kamal C. Chavara  and his friend Nadir  police have overacted in terms of charging UAPA and section 124 (A) of Indian Penal Code, invoking charges of sedition. All these resulted in projecting the sorry face of the police in the state. The question being asked seriously is whether the chief minister who is in charge of the Home ministry lost control over the police or not. If not, obviously it is a clear official charge sheet against the chief minister that he is acting like a dictator. In either case the police force in the state found itself caught in between the procedural or legal compliance and the political adherence in its day to day affairs. The election manifesto of the LDF declares about creating an efficient and judicious police force in the state. Now the police leadership in the state is in a state of dilemma or rather stupefied in discharging their duties as they lack clarity in terms of the policy of the police. A weak policing is a dangerous situation and it would hamper all other activities of the government as the law and order situation is so crucial in a civil society.

 

To own responsibility is the primary attribute of any leadership which is found miserably absent in the state in view of the allegations leveled against the police. If Pinarayi Vijayan who is known for his iron will and leadership quality doesn’t come forward to own the failure of the police, it would end up in a situation where the local party leadership would dictate terms to the police. It is shameful on the part of a leader like Pinarayi Vijayan to pass the buck solely on the police for its failure.

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