Manmohan Singh asks police officials not to misuse office

New Delhi, Jan 6 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has asked police officials to refrain from high-handedness.

Taking a dig at top police officials misusing their office and clout, Dr. Singh called upon them to respect the fundamental rights of the citizens and work within the framework of law.

"The fundamental rights of our citizens, - our state exists to guarantee these fundamental rights. And therefore in administration of justice, one increasingly hears complaints of high-handedness of officials, sometimes they happen to be the police officials. So I think it is very important that in discharging your responsibilities, the enforcement of law and order must be endowed with the spirit that is consistent with what is stated in the Constitution of India," Dr Singh said, while addressing the 61st batch of Indian Police Service (IPS) probationers here on Tuesday.

Reflecting that fundamentally the law and order situation in the country is under strain, he said, all these four areas are of great concern and it has to be ensured that they are not allowed to harm the unity and integrity of the country.

Dr Singh said that while tackling law and order, the police officers should be guided by the underlying principles of the Constitution.

''Your final Bible must be the Constitution of India. Our State guarantees certain fundamental rights. In administration of justice, one increasingly hears complaints of high handedness of officials, sometimes they happen to be police officials. So I think it is very important that in discharging your responsibilities, the enforcement of law and order must be endowed with the spirit that is consistent with what is stated in the Constitution,'' he added. (ANI)