Are the Police Seen as Perpetrators of Crime or Protectors in India?

Though the police force is a strong column of an alive democracy, its overall performance has been far less than satisfactory. But there has always been the judiciary which has demonstrated an inclination to make changes to the system of police administration in order to bring about transparency and accountability. The ball was set rolling when former IPS officer Prakash Singh petitioned the Supreme Court to take cognisance of the toxic irregularities plaguing the police system and prayed to the Court to pass directions to provide an efficacious roadmap which would control the abuse of power. Though the Prakash Singh guidelines were not implemented by states, courts have been moving to secure accountability from police officers, says MAHALAKSHMI PAVANI.

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Who Will Protect the Public When the Police Violate the Law? 

                                     —Ramsey Clark, American lawyer and activist

The police play an instrumental role in the protection of law and order in our country, which has a panoply of different religions, languages, castes, races and prides itself as the world's most boisterous democracy.

The title of being the world's largest democracy is not just based on the density and diversity of the people belonging to India, but also how consensually and connectedly institutions that support the superstructure of democracy are functioning.

The police force is a strong column, if not a pillar of an alive democracy. However, if one evaluates its overall performance, it has been far less than satisfactory.

The ways and means of its functioning in India are dismally inadequate when measured by the yardstick of modernity, technological breakthroughs and preservation of human rights.

This is not to negate the fact that there is a striking deterioration in the effective functioning of the police even in western countries where recent instances have shown the discriminatory prejudices against historically subjugated communities.

A force with a notorious reputation

The police force over the last three decades has acquired a notorious reputation of being dismissive to the rule of law, being prone to corruption and cronyism, repressing codified human rights, and for inspiring a negative feeling in the common man, who despite a distressing situation, would prefer not to approach the police for redress.