The Hindu : National : No compromise with terror, says Manmohan Singh

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Friday, Oct 07, 2005

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National

No compromise with terror, says Manmohan Singh

Vinay Kumar

Emphasis on a humane police force

Police mission to give a sense of purpose to be set up "Police should enjoy the respect and the trust of the common citizens" "No group or organisation can be allowed to take the law of the land in their own hands and indulge in violence"

Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI: Asserting that there was no question of any compromise with terror anywhere be it Jammu and Kashmir or any other part of the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday emphasised the need to have competent, just, accountable and humane police force.

He proposed to establish a "Police Mission'', intended to give the police a new outlook, a new sense of purpose and create a new vision for it. "The Mission will seek to transform the police forces in the country into effective instruments for maintenance of internal security and facing the challenges of the next century by equipping them with the necessary material, intellectual and organisational resources,'' Dr. Singh announced addressing the conference of the Directors General of Police and Heads of Central Police Organisations here.

In his view, the proposed "Police Mission'' would pay special attention to empowering the police force at all levels; to appropriate decentralisation and delegation of powers; to the promotion of a culture of excellence in police organisation; to enhance accountability to the people and to make them skilled, competent, just and humane.

The Prime Minister saw new challenges for the police in the form of new trends in urban unrest and disorder and new forms of social unrest. "Police should enjoy the respect and the trust of the common citizens. Otherwise, the entire police delivery system would suffer. At the same time, it will not be possible to deal with the complex problems that the nation faces without keeping the morale of the police force high,'' he said.

Acknowledging that police and security forces faced multi-dimensional security challenges in different regions of the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, the North East and in a large swathe of the hinterland which was affected by the problem of Left wing extremism, Dr. Singh said several noteworthy steps by way of conflict resolution have been taken with regard to Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. "Notwithstanding these peace initiatives, the police and security machinery of the country cannot afford to lower their guard. No group or organisation can be allowed to take the law of the land in their own hands and indulge in violence,'' he told the top police and intelligence officials of the country.

Asking the police leadership to begin to "think big and think out-of-the-box'', the Prime Minister said it was important if crucial changes in police attitudes were to be effected. "There should be a system of internal checks and balances to minimise the scope of excess or omission. Prompt corrective and penal action is necessary. This is especially so in relation to the functioning of the police. The powers of arrest, search, seizure, institution of a criminal case in courts, and so on afford vast scope for misconduct by police personnel and officers. This can and does harm and harass innocent citizens also. There must be zero tolerance for extra-judicial killings,'' Dr. Singh said.

While the Prime Minister stressed upon a new outlook and vision for the police to change their work culture and improve image among the public, it was left to the Director, Intelligence Bureau, E.S.L. Narasimhan, to flag trouble spots in the country's internal security scenario. According to Mr. Narasimhan, the overall level of violence in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East came down in comparison to last year but there was a new security concern which directly affected India: criminal elements and miscreants taking the route through Bangladesh to enter Delhi and other parts. His concern also emanated from the rise of the Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen in Bangladesh which was involved in August 17 blasts in Bangladesh's 63 districts.

The IB chief said the probe into the recent terror strike in Ayodhya showed that terrorists got directions and arms from across the border. Illegal migration into India, use of modern technology by miscreants that also posed threat to the economic security and helped funding of terrorism, fake Indian currency and cyber-crimes remained pockets of persistent concern, Mr. Narasimhan said.

Calling for providing quality service at the police station at the lowest level of a constable, the IB chief said the policeman should always be a friend of the public. "A policeman should be able to find the missing cattle of a farmer, that should be his friendly nature.''

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