Playing politics with police

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
30th Nov 2008
Andhra Pradesh has over the years witnessed several controversies over postings of senior cops.
Terrorism requires precise intelligence gathering and incisive police response. But many a time, radical steps taken by police administration to tune its response to terrorism have been hampered by politics.
Also, officers of integrity who have the skills to deliver the goods are sidetracked in favour of those who enjoy the confidence of their political masters. This also affects motivation and response.
In Andhra Pradesh for instance, right from the appointment of the directorgeneral of police to district SPs, the will of politicians always prevails over sincerity and efficiency of officers. “Preventive measures always invite criticism, more so from political parties and leaders,” said the former DGP, Mr R.K. Ragala. “Police excesses are their constant refrain.” “Police should be loyal to the Constitution and the law of the land,” said Mr M. Padmanabha Reddy, a retired all-India service officer who was the pioneer in promoting police reforms. “Instead they are now loyal to politicians. The story of AP is no different.” Lack of political will and absence of focus on essential tasks adds to the sordid picture. For instance, an elite anti-terror outfit was thought of in AP way back in 1994 but came into being only last year in the form of the Organisation for Counter Terrorist Opera tions or Octopus.
“These elite organisations too become pawns in the hands of bureaucrats and politicians,” said the former Hyderabad police commissioner, Mr V. Appa Rao.
And even after it was formed, the Octopus was unable to focus on its assigned task. Political interference and squabbles in the police department plagued the unit from the start. The senior IPS officer, Mr A.K. Mohanty, who was posted as DG of Octopus last year, was unceremoniously removed. In a perturbing manner, the government allowed the efficient officer to become a victim of internal bickering even when Octopus was at a nascent stage. Also, after setting it up, the government denied full strength and resources to Octopus. It was only after the Mumbai attacks occurred that the blast cases of the city were transferred to the Octopus on Friday.
“Some political parties do not want Octopus to be active,” said a senior police officer. “So the government was going at snail’s pace.” The elite force was supposed to have 1,600 personnel when it was set up in October 2007. But the appointment of staff has been slow. “Also, this unit requires committed personnel and that needs to be looked into,” said the senior cop. As of now, the Octopus is only involved in gathering information on terror modules. “It urgently needs a strike force,” said an official. It is not just Octopus which has become a victim of political and bureaucratic squabbles. The state has over the years witnessed several controversies over postings of senior cops.
Recently, Mr S.S.P. Yadav was appointed as DGP by sidelining senior officer, Mr P.V. Naidu. The shifting of Mr M.V. Krishna Rao from the post of Hyderabad police commissioner to a non-focal post is another example.
Aggrieved by the political interference in police, the Supreme Court in 2006 had asked the Centre and states to amend their Police Acts.
“Many states are still following the archaic Indian Police Act made by the British way back in 1861,” said Mr Padmabaha Reddy.
“The objective of the SC order was to free the police from the clutches of politicians. Because of political pressures the police could not make headway in many terror cases. The best examples are the Macca Masjid and twin blasts in Hyderabad.” However, one section of police officers says that however efficient and apolitical the police is, terror attacks cannot be totally predicted. They point out apredict attacks. “More than a thousand places in India are on the hit list,”said Mr Appa Rao. “No agency can provide blanket protection to these places all the time.” He added that it would be difficult to prevent all terror attacks but police could respond effectively if there was coordination between various security agencies.
(with G Diwakar)