Kerala Police: When actions become mere hogwash

In Kerala, rewarding wayward police officers with criminal backgrounds have become the norm rather than an aberration.

The role of the police in any modern society is to keep the community safe and maintain law and order in the society. But in Kerala, the protectors are becoming perpetrators and in a curious turn of events, they are even getting rewarded for their actions.

The latest in a long list of such despicable incidents is the arrest of P R Sunnu, a circle inspector (CI) in Kozhikode in a gang rape case. A complaint filed by a woman alleged that he was part of a group of men who had sexually assaulted her. What is interesting as well as unfortunate here is that there are three cases of women assault that are pending against Sunnu and he has been subjected to departmental inquiry eight times.

However, as with many cases in the recent past, he was suspended for a brief period and then was promoted to the post of CI and was appointed as Station House Officer (SHO). Such instances of rewarding wayward police officers with criminal backgrounds have become the norm rather than an aberration in the state.

Last year, an officer of the pink police Rajitha who harassed a father and daughter in a case over fake phone theft was given a transfer after civil society raised a hue and cry over the issue. The phone was eventually found inside her car and she was transferred to a station that was in close proximity to her house, which should by all means be seen as a reward for her ghastly action.

In April 2018, a 26-year-old man Sreejith died due to custodial torture and ten officers were suspended following this incident. But in just eight months, all the officers were reinstated.

It did not end there.

AV George who was then the rural Superintend of Police (SP) in whose custody Sreejith died was given a clean chit and was promoted to the rank of District Police Chief (Kozhikode city) in what was probably an attempt to erase the dark chapters of his past.

Recently, the police actions seem to have taken a more gruesome turn. A serving soldier of the Indian Army Vishnu and his brother Vignesh were brutally beaten up by SI Aneesh A P and he falsely accused the duo of attacking the police.

The reality was that Vishnu tried to complain against a police officer who harassed him in an inebriated state. Even in a case as serious as this where a soldier was completely disrespected and his brother who had cleared the PSC exam and was waiting to join the police force had all his dreams shattered, the maximum punishment meted out to the five errant police officers was a mere suspension.

In this case too, action came only after the media highlighted this issue and there was strong public opinion asking for action to be taken against the police officers who were involved.

The reports that Aneesh maybe among the list of 873 prepared by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) of officers of the Kerala police officers with alleged links to the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) should have raised alarm bells. But the Kerala police continues to deny that any such list was handed over despite the intelligence wing of the state police having prepared a detailed report in 2019 on officials with suspected links to the PFI.

A common factor in all the cases that have come to the limelight is that all these cases were taken up by big media houses and pressure was put on the police to act.

A case that is still fresh in the minds of the public is the Sharon murder case where the 23-year-old was poisoned by his 22-year-old female friend Greeshma and not even an FIR was filed till the media took up this issue and sensationalised it.

The same was the fate when a lady doctor was sexually assaulted just a few meters away from a police station in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. It was only due to her relentless pursuit along with the support of the media that the culprit Santosh was finally nabbed. He turned out to be a ministerial staff who has been unabashedly preying in the city allegedly with the support of those in the government.

The question that needs to be asked here is how did a state that is often ranked among the best force in the country in terms of crime investigation come to be a place where criminals are protected by none other than the higher establishment?

Interestingly, they are not just protected but given paid holidays in the form of suspensions and eventually promotions. Why are there no stringent actions taken and why should dismissal be so sparingly used in cases where there have been clear human rights violations?

It may be easier here to blame chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan who holds the home portfolio and who has been consistently justifying the police force. But for a man who in the last few years seem to have risen above any law and has been attempting to rule the state with an iron grip, the atrocities committed by the police force may at best be a slight chink in the armour. He may not think that it is worth his time and effort to address an issue which in a twisted way boosts the image of an authoritarian state that has become synonymous with his rule.

The real culprits here are the high-ranking officials of the police force who function with no accountability despite receiving high salaries and all other perks. This urgently calls for reforms within the system that will make each and every officer function with honesty and integrity.

A few examples of how corrupt this system needs to be mentioned here.

Two weeks ago, former vigilance chief MR Ajith Kumar who was transferred for allegedly extending help to gold smugglers was appointed as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), law and order.

Appointing a tainted officer in such an important position is nothing but a mockery of the system as well as the common sense of the public. The current Director General of Police Anil Kant was granted an extension of 18 months after his tenure got over last year.

His predecessor Loknath Behra was made the head of the Kochi Metro soon after he retired despite controversies of corruption and misuse of power continuing to haunt him. It is worth pondering over if officials can function in an upright capacity when they have carrots dangling in front of them? Is it possible to be impartial and objective within a system that seems to reward one for criminal activities?

Moral rectitude in the police force may perhaps be an impossible aim to attain. But a more achievable goal is to urgently bring about police reforms that have been in discussions for long.

There should be no room for those in the higher rungs to err and if they do, it should be met with strict measures. The unbridled power of the uniform must be urgently curbed and police should be trained to do what they are meant for - to create a haven for the public. Peace and prosperity cannot be there in a society where wolves roam in sheep's clothing.

(Lekshmi Parameswaran is a researcher and writer based in New Delhi. Her twitter profile is @lekshmip.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.