Politicisation of the police

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Politicisation of the police

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• Politicisation of Indian police: Indian citizens ought to be worried about the gross politicisation of the police force, as it directly negates the 'Rule of Law' and good governance principles. 
• Delhi Police: In 2020, it was observed that while the DP was extremely tolerant of the actions of right-wing element, it came down heavily on the left-wing elements. That happened at JNU, and at Jamia Millia too, and it was pretty violent. The image that gets built is one of partisanship. And public respect depends on impartiality.
• Genesis of misuse: The top echelons of political power govern the appointments of police chiefs of states, and police commissioners in big cities. For Delhi, the Home Minister wields ultimate power. Misuse of these powers is the root cause of all politicisation.
• Ambitious officers: Many IPS officers are overtly ambitious for higher posts. Since lower ranked officers depend totally on the report of higher ups, and higher ups are surrendering to the political authorities, the system gets compromised. Sensitive cases get investigated based on political convenience. 
• Delhi riots 2020: The sole focus of Delhi police has been on arresting the anti-CAA protestors, including many women, rather than on those who actually instigated the riots (on both sides). Till this happened, the national image of this force was one of a professional, competent force. The investigation into Nirbhaya case bore that out, but now, the force has fallen victim to politicisation. They have surrendered totally to the political leadership.
• The UP case: Middle classes rejoiced when the new CM Yogi Adityanath ordered the UP police to execute many small-time criminals. But that didn't end the atmosphere of criminality, and some high-profile cases came up. The police assumed the role of judge and executioner! 
• Love jihad: Today, the UP police are busy arresting Muslim men who have married Hindu women. The Allahabad High Court, and some other HCs, have openly castigated this approach, but to little avail. The police chiefs are silent before the CM, who hates inter-faith marriages. 
• The Maharashtra case: The death of SS Rajput, a Bollywood actor, led to a prolonged tussle via media, between the BJP and the ruling Shiv Sena. The centre sent in the NIA, CBI and the ED, but ultimately no charge could hold against the CM or his son. An actress became the sacrificial lamb, due to her live-in relation with the now-dead SSR.
• Retaliation: This led to the resurrection of an old case of 'abetment to suicide', when the police arrested the boss of a media group who was haranguing the CM and his party. This tit-for-tat is highly undesirable, and tarnishes the police's image.
• Summary: Indian police stand totally compromise before their political masters. If not checked now, this trend will lead to the death of good governance, and a mockery of India's image in the world.

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