PM's call to the police

The prime minister's call to the police to uphold the rule of law without any exception is timely and laudable. Unfortunately, it appears to be out of sync with the realities on the ground. At this point of time, 45 years on since our independence from tyranny and injustice, good counsel can hardly be enough unless it is backed by substantive action. 

The police have to be given adequate resources to perform their duties, but it is the methods they often adopt that warrant close scrutiny, which brings us to the issue of a proper mechanism for monitoring and evaluation of police activities. 

Reportedly, the police is highly averse to the idea of external monitoring and the consequences of that is for the nation to see: the media are awash with reports of police brutality, deaths in police custody, corruption and rogue police officials behaving like party cadres.  

Therefore, a call for an external monitoring cell is highly rational. In many countries, there are internal watchdogs within the force but they work independently of the police command and report to relevant ministries or authorities. Such an arrangement is necessary in our country as well to monitor the police force without hampering their operational capacity.  

It is also high time that the police reform proposal, which has been gathering dust for a long time, was finalised and put into effect. The 1863 Police Act, under which the police are still being governed, needs to be replaced by a system that is in conformity with the aspirations of a 21st century state. That will hopefully enable the police to act without fear or favour and unnecessary political influence.