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Police reforms: Psychological test a must

This refers to the article ‘Police reforms: More talk than action' (September 5). It was a well-researched and incisive article that calls for police reforms. There is no need to wait for big-ticket reforms which the country has been doing for several decades. The most valuable recommendation that the writer has made is the requirement for psychological profiling and personality testing during selection/ recruitment. In the absence of such assessment of personalities, many persons with undesirable traits, including criminal tendencies, have been getting into the police at all levels, including the IPS, and playing with their organisation and the country. The UPSC, the Union Home Ministry and the state governments should take immediate steps to implement this recommendation. The reform should start with the selection of IPS officers and, then, extend to other entries right down to recruitment of constables.

There is an urgent need for improving the police-public ratio. In addition, manpower audit vis-a-vis the output of the CID and crime branches needs to be carried out by independent agencies periodically, and manpower redeployed, if required. Another feature that is weighing down the police is its top-heavy set-up with several DGP/ADGP level officers even in tiny states without any consequent improvement in the organisational efficiency. A sizeable manpower and other resources are deployed for their security and administration. There is a need to downsize top echelons to make them ‘mean and lean’. Moreover, former HRD Minister Kapil Sibal’s suggestion that there should be a separate examination and selection system for IPS officers should be implemented soon. This will ensure that only genuine candidates join the police service.

LT COL M S KANWAR (RETD), Panchkula

Emulate Russia

Apropos Suhasini Haider’s article ‘Never too late to talk’ (September 23), a closely reasoned case for resuming the India-Pakistan dialogue on the analogy of the Lavrov-Kerry talks in Geneva has been made out. However, the argument suffers from a fatal flaw, which is apparent when one answers a simple question: How many American or Russian servicemen have lost their lives in Syria? None! That is not the case between India and Pakistan, where many Indians have died in cross-border violence.

A better example illustrated in the article is Obama’s cancellation of his bilateral talks with Putin, because the latter sheltered a rogue American. We may believe that Nawaz Sharif is indeed sincere when he makes the obvious point that our two nations need peace to eradicate poverty and deprivation. We may even concede that elements within Pakistan have vested interest in scuttling peace but Nawaz cannot expect India to rein in these elements. He has to do so himself to demonstrate his sincerity to India.

In another case when the US deployed five destroyers with other carriers and warships lurking in the background, the Russians sent in 12 destroyers and a ‘carrier-killer’ cruiser. It was the show of force and willingness to withstand American bullying that pushed Kerry towards brokering the deal. India needs to emulate Obama in St Petersburg as well as Putin’s counter-deployments in the Mediterranean, rather than undertake talks without meaningful responses to our concerns.

MAJ-GENERAL PUSHPENDRA SINGH (RETD), Panchkula

Ban khap panchayats

Khap panchayats in Haryana have urged the government to ban same gotra and same village marriages to curb honour killings. It is totally illogical, baseless and unjust as it justifies honour killings. In an age of globalisation and liberalisation, such a narrow thinking has absolutely no place in the society.

To curb honour killings it is necessary to impose a ban on khap panchayats. Legislators should rise above the vote bank politics and take immediate steps to ban the khap panchayats to douse the fire before the heat reaches their own houses.

AMIT JAIN, Patran(Patiala)

Demand for ethnic states People of Nepali origin are demanding vehemently a chunk of India to call it Gorkhaland, and if the unjust demand is conceded under political pressure, it will open a can of worms. Lakhs of Tibetans, who have overstayed their welcome in India, and millions of Bangladeshis will one day demand a Lamaland and Banglaland, respectively. Demand for five or six more states has been vociferous after the birth of the Telangana state. We must put a stop to such demands for ethnic states. India could have been a better country in many respects, if we had divided it into five zones like North, South, West, East, and Central, instead of umpteen linguistic states. L J SINGH, Amritsar