RJD to launch state wide agitation against new Police Act

Patna, Apr 1 (UNI) The Rashtriya Janata Dal today branded the Bihar Police Act-2007 as 'draconian' and said it will launch statewide agitation against the new act.

RJD National spokesperson Shyam Rajak and its state spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad Khan told newspersons here the new police act was framed in contravention with the directives of the apex court and also against the spirit of the model Police Act circulated by the Centre to the states.

They said the strategy for the agitation against the police act would be chalked out soon.

According to them the new act violated the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and the rights of the judiciary had been usurped by the executive. They said district magistrates had been empowered to sentence the deputy superintendents of police to rigorous imprisonement which naturally came under the purview of judiciary.

They said that as per the directive of the apex court, state security commission was to be constituted and headed by either Chief Minister or state home minister to check the interference of the state government in the functioning of the police.

The leader of the opposition, a retired high court or supreme court judge were to become other members of the said commission but under the provision of new act, security commission was to be constituted under the chairmanship of chief secretary while home secretary and DGP would be other members of the commission, they said adding leader of the opposition and retired judge found no place in it leaving scope of total interference in the police department by the state government.

They said certain provisions of the police act would create police anarchy in the state as any one found blocking the movement of traffic would attract fine upto Rs 10,000. The leaders apprehended the provision might be misused against the political parties who take out procession to protest government policies.

How could a political party exercise its democratic rights under such an atmosphere of fear-psychosis, they added.

They said that complaint appellate, at district level as well as at state level, for redressal of complaints against the police excesses were not proposed to be constituted as per the directive of the apex court.

UNI