Fence is eating crop here!
Who should we hold responsible for the violence laden situation in the country today? Should we hold the police department responsible for being unable to contain the communal elements from spreading unrest in the country? Their role is evident in increasing number of communal cases and massacres that are spreading like wildfire across the nation. Another glaring reason is that the communal minds have been accommodated inside police department since long. Hence the primary duty now is to set the minds on path of correction over maintaining law and order. Only after that, does the department have any moral right to punish goondas or law breakers spreading communal violence.
IPS officer of Beed district in Maharashtra, Bhagyashree Navtake has been caught on candid video that went viral on social media on how they were filing false cases against the Dalits and Muslims, and thus safeguarding the Maratha people. She was boasting on this in the video without a hint of regret. Soon as video went viral, action was initiated against her. What was the penalization that was awarded to her? A mere transfer. How did this change the officer at all? This is as good as putting the crime instigator who has a nexus with criminals from one place to another. This is nothing more than a hogwash and the pattern of this is a predictable one. This is a stunt to silence the public for the time being. In the next few months, she'd be reinstated rather stealthily. The nexus between the police and rowdies is well know by now.
Mob lynching is increasing in the country owing to concurrence by the police. Rowdies kill people and then the police will watch it rather silently. Later when the pressure increases to act against such crimes, they file weak cases to ensure the powerful culprits are let off. This has a long history. And this fact reveals how the police department is laden and corrupted with the ideology of the ruling party. If we consider the Khairlanji incident that occurred in 2006 to the Bhima Koregaon violence in the recent times, the anti Dalit mindset of police is well evident. A case has been registered in Bombay High court on the inaction of police in cases involving destruction of properties and assets belonging to Dalits at the violence that erupted to weaken the atrocities act of 1989 that was drafted for the protection of Dalits, through silent morchas that were taken out by the Maratha communities.
In the last few years, the Uttar Pradesh police are famous enough to be either proactive or inactive based purely on the religion of the perpetrators or victims. They humiliate the Hindu Muslim lovers in the name of anti Romeo squad, or probe into people's lives in the name of Love Jehad carrying out misinformation campaign against them, and killing innocents accusing them of cow theft are all part of the bigger design. They had taken out black tape silent March to protest action against their colleague who killed an innocent unarmed official recently.
This state is witness to the verdict given by Delhi High court on the case of Hashimpur as well. About 42 muslim dead bodies were found discarded in a canal in Hashimpur and investigation had revealed that the police from Regional Armed Police had killed them and thrown them into the canal. The court concluded this hearing 31 years after the incident occurred. In the verdict, the court observed how violence and prejudice was institutionalised and this had found deeper roots in police department as well. No state governments have taken enough care to implement any progressive steps to improve conditions within the police department. Many committees starting from the police committee or 1978, to the PIL filed by former DIG of UP (still being heard) in Supreme Court in 1995, the Julius Ribero committee in 1998, Padmanabhaiah and subsequently the Malimath committee followers by Soli Sorabji committee have been making recommendations to improve the morale and mkrs of the department. Supreme Court has issued six directives in 2006. The fourth recommendation was particularly about designing training programmes on creating sensitivity among the police about the duty they need to perform in a society that is as plural as out nation.
In case of men and women officers who were part of targeting communities that they have an axe to grind against, and the discrimination they exhibit, the training such as the one mentioned above has clearly failed. A miniscule level of improvement is seen in states that have implemented model police conduct code. But a comprehensive improvement is a pipe dream and unless that happens, an ideal police department is a far cry. Discrimination and prejudices take a long time to get uprooted from the alleys of the society since they have been around for ages. Today the police need these trainings and dialogue about creating a fair and better society much more than ever before.
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Kerala court sentences man to life imprisonment for murder of doctor at taluk hospital
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): A teacher convicted in the sensational murder of Dr Vandana Das inside a hospital here was sentenced to life term on Saturday, and the prosecution said it will move an appeal seeking death penalty for the accused. The victim's family also batted for "maximum punishment".
Dr Das was brutally killed inside a taluk hospital in May 2023 by G Sandeep.
The Kollam Additional District and Sessions Court sentenced Sandeep to a total of 30 years for various offences under the then Indian Penal Code (IPC) and said that after he serves that period, his life imprisonment for Das' murder will commence, SPP Prathap G Padickal told reporters.
The detailed judgement is awaited.
The special public prosecutor said that he will recommend to the prosecution to file an appeal seeking enhancement of the life imprisonment to death penalty.
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He said that the prosecution had sought the maximum punishment for Sandeep, "but the court probably felt it was not a rarest-of-rare case" and that is why death penalty was not given.
The victim's father said that the verdict has come as a relief for the family, but he cannot authoritatively say whether his daughter has got justice.
He indicated his dissatisfaction with the punishment, saying that steps will be taken to seek its enhancement after discussions with the public prosecutor.
Dr Das' mother said that the family can only wish for the maximum punishment and it was up to the court to decide what sentence should be given.
She said that the family will go in appeal, but declined to comment on whether her daughter got justice.
She tearfully said that she wants the convict to suffer the same pain that her daughter underwent "as he stabbed her 27 times".
The court on March 17 had convicted Sandeep for various offences under the IPC, including murder, destruction of evidence and wrongful restraint.
It had also held him guilty under the provisions of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of violence and damage to property) Act 2012.
Sandeep was brought to the taluk hospital by the police for medical treatment during the small hours of May 10, 2023 and he went on a sudden attacking spree using a pair of surgical scissors kept in the room where his leg injury was being dressed.
A school teacher by profession, he had initially attacked the police officers and a private person who had accompanied him to the hospital and then turned on the young Dr Das, who could not escape to safety.
She was stabbed several times and later succumbed to her injuries in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was rushed following the attack.
Dr Das was a native of the Kaduthuruthy area of Kottayam district and the only child of her parents.
She was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was working at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital as part of her training.
Sandeep had called the emergency number 112, claiming that his life was in danger. When local police located him, he was standing close by his home, surrounded by local residents and his relatives, and had a wound on his leg following an alleged quarrel.
He was then taken to the hospital for dressing the wound.
