CHANDIGARH: Recent indictments ‘by the courts of the Punjab Police for ‘alleged use of Exira constitutional methods to neutralize militants, have ‘Senijitters among senior officers, who have sought the intervention of the ‘Prime Minister, it is learned.
A group of senior officers, including D.R Bhatti, Inspector General (Border Range), and three DIGs and at Last 16 district police chiefs met the Punjab Chief Minister, Beant Singh, with this unusual request last week. The officers, who were in Chandigarh in connection with a meeting, said that the Court pronouncements were leading to demoralization in the rank and file “of the police force. The Chief Minister is reported to have shared their ‘concern and promised to take up the Matter with the Prime Minister. Earlier, the state police chief, K.P.S. Gill, presided over the high level meeting of the police officers.
They are learnt to have argued that they should not be ‘victimized’ for Certain “executive actions’ they had’ to take while fighting the unusual war, Moreover, they pointed out that the policy, which had the okay at the highest-level had succeeded in restore normalcy in the state. The latest case is the Supreme Court ruling ordering the suspension of five police Officials including a superintendent of police and a deputy superintendent of police for the involvement in the killing of a militant couple in Calcutta ‘on May 17, 1993.
While directing the prosecution of the five police officials in what has come to be known as the Calcutta Killing case, the Supreme Court had ‘observed, “Our worst apprehensions have come trick. The Killing of the couple in the cold blood reveals a state of affairs where human life has virtually no value for the officers who wear uniform and are supposed !0 be the protectors of life.” The court verdict was a sequel to the CBI enquiry following the protest by the West Bengal Government, This is not for the first time that the judiciary has come down severely on the Punjab police. Earlier in some other case also, the courts had strongly indicted the police officials and ordered prosecutions against them. Reacting strongly to the increasing judicial’ indictments, a senior state ‘government officer said, “The judges ‘were no Where to be seen when we ‘Were facing the bullets. The judicial system had virtually collapsed under the fear of the gun. The counts failed to prosecute the antinational, now when we have restored peace and normalcy, the judiciary has suddenly started reacting against the police.”
However, with the turnaround in the Situation for the better, there is creasing feeling even in Delhi that stem action against the guilty security personnel should be taken as the argument of morals if exploited beyond a point, will dilute accountability.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 5, 1995
