The Hindu : New Delhi News : Noida exposes flaws in policing

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Saturday, Jan 06, 2007
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New Delhi

Noida exposes flaws in policing

`Class bias' has been apparent in Noida killings' probe, says Ashok Kumar

Just three days before the New Year, a horrendous tale of abduction, sexual abuse and murder of little children unfolded in the township of Noida next door to the national Capital. The story acquired a new dimension with the recovery of skeletal remains from the house of the accused, Moninder Singh, and when the count finally stopped at 17 the nation was left speechless in anger.

In the days that followed, many skeletons tumbled out of the closet. The poor bereaved families whose feeble voices were never heard before now narrated their poignant tales before television cameras for the whole nation to watch. They recounted their struggles to get FIRs about their missing children lodged and blamed the police for seeking bribes. They talked about attempts by the police to muzzle their voices and accused the force of being hand in glove with the accused.

A CBI probe has been sought now by the State Chief Minister to bring out the "truth". Hopefully all aspects of the case will be looked into and the culprits will be brought to book.

But the manner in which the mysterious disappearances of children was handled exposes many flaws in policing. Non-registration of cases, an apparent lack of local intelligence due to which the killings could not be discovered for two long years or the causal handling of the scene of crime and the evidence thereafter -- all such facts cry out loud for reforms. Add to that the "class bias" that has become apparent in these killings. Contrast the lackadaisical approach of the police in the case of missing Nithari children with the seriousness with which a high-profile software executive's son was rescued from his kidnappers and it seems safe to conclude that the police are always there to serve the rich and the influential. To suspend a few officials and transfer some in the aftermath of every scandal serves no purpose other than pacifying public anger and hushing up the matter. More than it being "action taken", it is just "pretending to be taking action".

Ironically, however, a model Police Act drafted by a committee set up by the Union Home Ministry did not find many takers among the State Governments. This past Sunday, at a meeting held in the Capital, many State Government representatives rejected most of the provisions of the Act like setting up security commissions, mechanisms to insulate the police from undue political influence and security of tenure for Directors-General of Police and other field officers. Their prime contention was that law and order was a State subject, besides other objections like fixed tenures at police station level would create "monsters" out of incumbents. There are several arguments that politicians may put forward while opposing sweeping reforms in police administration, but the fact is the political dispensation in power does not see them as anything more than their "strongman". Mass transfers and arbitrary appointments are tools that politicians have used to get things done their way. Therefore, the need for an institutional mechanism insulating the police from undue external pressure, besides improvements in the field like that of investigation, is something that cannot be over-emphasised if the police are to be professional and accountable.

And those who are not yet fully convinced about the urgency of reforms would probably do well to treat the Noida killings not only as a human tragedy but also as an abject failure of police administration.

- Ashok Kumar

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