M A I N   N E W S

Clinton: Pak visit no coup endorsement

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) — US President Bill Clinton said today that his visit to Pakistan later this month did not constitute an endorsement of the military coup that took place in the South Asian country in October.

“It is certainly not an endorsement of the military coup,” Mr Clinton told reporters. “It is a recognition in my judgement that the USA’s interests and values will be advanced if we maintain some contact with and communications with the Pakistani Government.”

Gen Parvez Musharraf, the Pakistani military ruler who ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last year, told Reuters yesterday that Mr Clinton’s trip “vindicates the legitimacy of my government’s stand and gives credence to our aim to put things right in our country.”

Police-bureaucrat row erupts again
By Gobind Thukral
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 9 — Certain senior IAS officers are pressing hard the political masters in Punjab to implement the police rules in letter and spirit. These officers have shot two letters to the Chief Secretary expressing their concern over what one of them called “the most corrupt and unfriendly force in the state”.

The Chief Secretary, Mr Rupinder Singh Mann, on his part, has sought the opinion of the Home Department and the state police chief, Mr Sarabjit Singh.

Senior police officers, reacting sharply to these long notes, see a deeper game in the demand for implementation of the antiquated police rule of 1861 which have lost all meaning. “Can we work within the framework of this British imperial legacy and hope to maintain law and order in the new millennium”? they ask. “We understand the purport of this game. Certain corrupt IAS officers would like to lord over the police and make merry”, they add in exasperation.

It all started with Mr B.M. Shrivastava, Commissioner, Jalandhar Division, writing to the Chief Secretary that the District Magistrates should effectively control and administer the police in their jurisdiction and save the public from undue harassment. In a nutshell, he wanted the District Magistrates to write the confidential reports of the SSPs and other IPS officers and order postings and transfers of the officers from the police department under their jurisdiction. This was needed to see that civil rule was firmly in place, Mr Shrivastava argued.

Later, the Secretary, Administrative Reforms, Mr B.R. Bajaj responded by not only agreeing with the contention of Mr Shrivastava, but also lampooning the police to some extent.

Mr Bajaj began by saying that the police rules are observed more in breach and the government has not cared for it. This has happened over a period of time and the government’s resolve to provide a transparent, accountable and corruption-free regime should be the guide.

Mr Bajaj said: “It is a matter of common knowledge derived from the report as well as from full interaction with citizens, that one of the most corrupt as well as user-unfriendly department of the government is the police department. It is well known, that apart from harassment at the hands of the police, the common citizen is always at the receiving end, whether he is a complainant or a victim in any criminal or civil dispute.”

“The amount of money extorted by the police from innocent citizens is again common knowledge. There are instances where citizens have had to sell property/jewellery or take loans/borrow, to satisfy the greed of the police personnel incharge of the matter in which a citizen has become an instrument of extortion and oppression. This trend which has already brutalised the police force, breads cynicism in the minds of the common citizen vis-a-vis the functioning of the state government,” Mr Bajaj added.

Mr Bajaj had suggested that enforcement of powers conferred on the Executive Magistrate/District Magistrate under the Police Rules should be implemented. He said the power of writing the ACR of SSPs and DIGs by District Magistrates and Commissioners, respectively, should be started. Other suggestions are:

Setting up a multi-disciplinary Vigilance Commission by dismantling the Vigilance Bureau; Amending the Cr PC to provide powers to District Magistrates to order registrations of FIRs, to transfer any Investigating Officer and give the investigation even to an Executive Magistrate and the power to approve challan before it is put up in court.

Setting up a Directorate of an Executive Magistracy in the Department of Home Affairs because at present there is no Institutional Institutional link of the Executive Magistracy in the government.

Providing adequate protection to government officials from undue harassment/criminal liabilities without proper satisfaction of a responsible body/trustworthy committee.

But police officers, who refuse to be quoted for obvious reasons, say the police rules have become obsolete. Some years back, both police chiefs, Mr Julio Ribeiro and Mr K.P.S. Gill, had suggested that in the light of experience and the Dharam Vira Police Commission and other recommendations, the police rules should be amended and full use should be made of some valuable suggestions of the various commissions keeping in mind the new role of the police. Terrorism, insurgency and the sophisticated nature of the crime should be the guiding force. It was also suggested by another police chief, Mr O.P. Sharma, to set up a highly professional and efficient intelligence wing. Late Mr Beant Singh and the present Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had agreed with these suggestions. But then these got scuttled. In fact, Mr Badal had made a public commitment to see that the police functioned in a professional manner and intelligence gathering operations were managed by professional officers and not by those thrown out of the main policing. The ball is still in Mr Badal’s court.