Image is
important, especially when one is a public
figure. Likewise image is also important for
all Government agencies, especially the
uniformed services, more so in a place like
Manipur which has been ravaged by the gun
culture for years. The question that is
staring at us at this moment is the image or
the reputation of the State Police
Department, especially in the backdrop of
recent developments that have all the
potential to snow ball into major issues if
not tackled tactfully and on time.
The JAC Against the Killing of L Boy has
already announced that it is ready to start
a violent agitation to demand justice for
the death of the youth. While the police
claimed that Boy was killed in an encounter,
family members and the JAC have outrightly
rejected the police version contending that
he was killed after arrest and for the sum
of Rs.85,000 that he was carrying with him
at the time of the arrest. The charge
leveled by the JAC is serious. In other
words, what the JAC is saying is that the
police are a murderous lot who will and can
kill for money!
We are not in any way suggesting that the
accusation of the JAC is the Biblical truth,
but what we are concerned about is the image
of the police and how the public perceive
the State Police Department. The issue of
the killing of two civilians by unidentified
gunmen on December 31 night at North AOC is
yet to die down and the significant point is
the subtle hint given by many organizations
that the culprits could belong to the State
forces.
The issues confronting Manipur are many and
of course one of the most pressing issues is
the armed movement launched by numerous
underground outfits. Given the law and order
situation we understand the State Police
Department is stretched to its limit and we
also agree that the job of a policeman is a
thankless one. However whatever the case may
be, however tight the working hours may be,
something concrete should be done to
cultivate a positive image of the police. A
positive image cannot be achieved overnight
and it will take more than holding some
seminar or meeting, but goes right down to
the most basic point.
And it goes without saying that the starting
point is during the training imparted to the
policemen. Training should not only be a
question of making the cops physically fit
or how to handle arms, but should also be
about instilling discipline and respect for
the law of the land, which they are supposed
to uphold.
Perhaps, it
may do good for the top brass of the State
Police Department to periodically review the
training imparted to the recruits at the
Manipur Police Training School at Pangei.
The public too on its part should realize
the trying time under which our policemen
have to dispense their duty. A certain
degree of understanding between the police
and the public and appreciating the position
of each other will prove positive in the
long run. |
