In the era of instant communications, the barbaric attack on a woman by a traffic head constable was captured so well on a cellphone that only by rendering instant justice could the authorities salvage themselves in New Delhi. The Delhi government, which does not control the police in the nation’s capital, voiced outrage too at this gory drama, more graphic than any television reality show. Imagine the trauma to the woman’s young children who saw their mother assaulted with a brick by a greedy policeman annoyed at being denied a bribe.
A few days earlier, in Chennai, a traffic policeman tried to stop a signal-jumping scooter with teenagers. He may have been trying to do his duty, but he pushed the rider out of control and one of the kids died as the scooter toppled. Both instances of boorish police behaviour are illustrative of the poor quality of training they receive.
Of late, there have been too many instances of police high-handedness, particularly among those on traffic duty and escorting and protecting VIPs, suggesting that a new kind of “police rage” may be building up in the country. The stress on duty in overcrowded cities may be rising, but only good training and counselling can help uniformed personnel see reason and act with restraint, and still be in control of situations. If our police forces do not act from the top downwards in training personnel to handle people better, we are in danger of sliding into a new kind of police fascism.
