This is in response to your report “Policeman caught thrashing woman on camera” (May 24). It is disgraceful that men of a disciplined force, who ought to be service-minded, have behaved in such a brutal manner. Our police regrettably do not command respect they deserve. It is for the country and the police establishment to decide whether to sail in the present style of functioning or improve the system drastically. Undeniably, our society needs the police force to maintain order and prevent wrongdoing, but it is now increasingly in doubt whether the police are playing that role.
As a result, people increasingly take the law in their hands — brutalising each other or getting musclemen to settle scores. In India, the police are mostly feared by the weak and the honest who do not know how to bribe, but cultivated by the powerful and the dishonest. Either way, the police have lost respect in society. Under the circumstances, law and order can only deteriorate and crime will only flourish. The motto of those in authority seems to be that “power is to bend rules for oneself and for others, for a consideration.” Our Police certainly need to exercise greater restraint while dealing with civilians, and respect laws. It is important to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
