Politicians & Police
By Poonam I Kaushish
“Suno, mai Deputy Chief Minister bol raha hoon aur aapko aadesh deta hoon ki voh rukwao” “What is the proof that it is the Deputy CM talking? “Main tere upar action loonga so that you remember my face. How dare you talk to the DCM in such a way?”
A row generated by a video of Dy Chief Minister and NCP Chief Ajit Pawar issuing directions to an IPS office asking her not to take action against illegal sand quarrying in Solapur. Pawar clarified his diktat with the threat of “action was not intended as interference but to ensure the situation remains calm.” Seriously?
This intimidation of officers is not isolated to Maharashtra but is an all-Party, all States thing. Last month an Andhra Minister’s brother slapped a policeman who stopped him from entering a restricted area in a temple. In April Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made a slap gesture at a police officer at a rally. Last year a Himachal Congress MLA slapped a woman constable in Shimla but had the rare experience of being slapped back!
Undeniably, the police that works under their political rulers thumb, just as it did during the Raj, cannot do its democratic duty. Pertinently, the Kerala Police Reorganisation Committee stressed this in 1959. “Result of partisan interference is often reflected in lawless enforcement of laws, inferior service and general decline of police prestige.”
Alas, over the years these words resonate in Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu etc. Primarily, because police is governed by the 1861 Police Act which makes vardi-wallahs subservient to its masters and hostile to citizens. A Home Ministry 1978 study found, “people consider political interference with police greater evil than corruption.”
Worse, this shows police in negative light: Of protecting the Establishment whereby netas use it for their unsavoury ends. That’s because police represents corporeal power —— real deal, without which even Courts are powerless. Any wonder, why politician always need police to “fix” their problem or people.
Is politician the culprit or policeman? The truth is midway. Both work in tandem in furthering their own self-interest resulting in the system becoming self-perpetuating. Whereby, criminalization of politics has turned to politicization of police and political criminals. Leading to complete brutalization and dehumanisation of both.
Consequently, the system becomes self-perpetuating wherein the threatened political elite have given more and more powers to police to get their way and have their say. Its merit and investigative skills don’t really matter. What counts is loyalty and trustworthiness to the leader.
Alongside Chief Ministers use transfers as danda to get cops to do their bidding. Those who refuse are humiliated and given punishment postings. In UP the average tenure of DSPs is abominable three months. Punjab, too, has a poor track record. Notwithstanding Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Kerala believe in stable tenures for policemen.
That police personnel try to please their political mai baaps and are used as an instrument of partisan agendas by Parties in power is no surprise. To change this umpteen Police Commissions have been constituted and over 8 reports presented. Only to be dumped in raddi and forgotten. Why? At the crux: Who should control police? State Government or independent body? A Catch-22 question, for our power-greedy netas to honestly answer and us to stupidly expect.
Accentuated by Supreme Court: “When a Party is in power, police takes side of ruling Party, when new Party comes to power it initiates action against those officials. Remember a disproportionate asset case filed against a Chhattisgarh IPS officer for disobeying ex-Chief Minister Baghel’s order to file a money laundering case against predecessor Raman Singh. And ex-Mumbai police Chief Singh accusing ex-Home Minister Deshmukh of asking him to collect Rs 100 crores from bars, restaurants etc.
Multiple judgments over years have sought to improve this situation. Supreme Court in a historic judgment 2006 directed Central, State Governments to comply with a set of directives. Namely, functional autonomy to prevent politically engineered mass transfer of officers on change of Government and police accountability but it was like water off a duck’s back.
Any wonder mass transfers take place in police department with every change in Ministers. Bihar’s prisons are notorious for criminals rushing to surrender after committing crimes as they have a nexus with police who provide protection in jail.
Alas, not only is police not meeting bare minimum yardsticks like functional autonomy for cops, netas are also depriving policing of qualitative improvements. Sexual offences which need better forensics and sensitive handling of victims have abysmally low conviction rates. Women suffer as a result. Rising cyber crimes demand police must simultaneously upgrade both tech and physical interface to ease reporting of such crimes.
Shockingly, Status of Policing in India Report 2025 finds caste, religion and political affiliation play a decisive role in shaping police perceptions and influencing actions. Over 27% justified mob violence in cases of sexual harassment, kidnapping effectively legitimising vigilantism. In arrests only 41% “always followed” procedures, 21% “rarely” or “never” complyed with them.
Case in point: Complainant goes to file FIR. SHO refuses to record complaint if it pertains to netas, rich and powerful or demands money, threatens and shoos him away. A woman complainant is molested and raped, specially in notorious Bihar.
If FIR is against a corrupt policeman, God help. Who will investigate? How will evidence be collected? None of his tribesmen will do so, given the general tendency to protect one’s own. Leaving complainant with limited options: Highlight plight in media, write to higher authority and hope to hell that somebody pays heed.
Unsurprisingly, investigation suffers as there is no “scientific investigation or procedures.” A recent report shows conviction rate is as low as 1% in the past 10 years. Shoddier, if used “process as punishment.” Thereby, sullying police’s reputation, replete with its “failure” to back charges with required evidence.
Where lies’ India’s salvation? With citizenry hooting for answerability and accountability from netagan it is imperative we get our priorities right. Simultaneously there is need for new-age policeman who is more professional, better motivated, equipped and trained with latest technology and tactics.
Stop political influence, change police mindset, improve public interface, prevent politicization and corruption. Supremacy of Rule of Law should be clearly spelt out and police guided by Law with legal option to disregard instructions running contrary to that. Alongside, its administration and superintendence should remain exclusively under professional supervisors to highlight vardi exists for people’s service. Police should be completely decentralized and functional autonomy given from SHO upwards.
Clearly, unless politics changes, policing may not get modernized, trained manpower which is adept at using latest technology and a humane approach who invoke people’s trust. Police leadership needs to shift from quantity to quality. A revolutionary change in operational command is urgently needed as merely mouthing platitudes and inane, obsolete and muddle-headed formulations will no longer work. The Central-State Governments need to think beyond headlines.
In the ultimate our leaders must desist from playing havoc with police. They need to answer two questions: Will police be guided by law of the land only or by Government of the day? Questionably, who will cast the first stone? Kiski laathi aur kiski bhains? —— INFA