Kerala: Bully' cops run wild

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police policy of brutal action against agitators continues unchanged though the governments change.  They single out agitators and rough them up in group. There is  lack of a manual specifying the manner of handling  various types of agitations.   According to police sources, the only written norm to be followed by the police  is to use  minimum force. The level of force would be decided by the senior officer at the spot.  “Maintain maximum restraint, deliberate, shout, use force to resist and then open lathicharge and fire grenades. This is the protocol being generally followed by the police. There is no written rule in Kerala that police should beat an agitator only below knees,” said a senior police officer.

The state has  witnessed several instances of police singling out agitators and roughing  them up. The recent action of Kochi deputy commissioner of police Yatish Chandra in beating agitators even after being held by cops was yet another instance. The  action on KSU activists at Thodupuzha causing head injuries to some also revealed the police’s unprofessional style. According to former state police chief Jacob Punnose,  the state police should prepare manuals on handling each type of stirs.

“Some agitations are well-planned by political parties and some by local people out of genuine grievances. In many foreign countries,  there are manuals prescribing how the police should deal with each circumstance. Any violation could attract stringent action. We should  also try to prepare such manuals,” said Mr. Punnose who had earlier made an initiative in this regard. Meanwhile, a middle-level police officer justified the police action against agitators citing police casualties. “There is no joy for police in unleashing force as they are at equal risk. The agitators even use crude bombs against police. In every police action, only the casualty on the side of agitators gets highlighted. Almost every instance of excess police action might be preceded by an attack on the police by agitators,” he said.

But another senior officer said: “Police are not laymen to get provoked by agitators. They are trained to be composed. But the level of training needs to be reviewed.” The police action  against riots  is often dependent on the efficiency and experience of the senior police officer at the spot. “The effort of the police should be to disperse the mob without using force. Sufficient intelligence work should be done to avoid the chances of vested interest groups trying to trigger tension,” he added.