Around 49,000 complaints were received against policemen across the country in a year, but 60 per cent of them were declared “false or unsubstantiated” by investigators, according to latest government statistics.
Madhya Pradesh and Delhi have received the largest number of complaints accounting for 50 per cent of the total 48,939 cases in 2008.
According to the report prepared by National Crime Records Bureau, Madhya Pradesh accounted for 35.8 per cent (18,315) of total complaints followed by Delhi (6,031) and Uttar Pradesh (6,015).
However, a whopping 14,306 or 78 per cent of the complaints filed against policemen in Madhya Pradesh were declared false or unsubstantiated. Fifty per cent (3007) of cases filed against men in khaki in UP were declared bogus.
The corresponding figure for Delhi was a meagre 70.
“The total number of cases that were either not substantiated or not found true was 29,577 which amounted to 60.4 per cent of the total complaints reported,” the report said.
“There are incidents that complaints against policemen are not investigated properly. But at the same time, there are also cases in which a proper case is not built by complainants,” a senior Delhi Police official said.
According to the statistics, in Delhi, departmental inquiry was constituted against 539 and cases were registered against 93.
While disciplinary action was initiated against 1,185 personnel and 87 personnel were dismissed or removed from service. Major punishments were awarded to 319 while minor punishments were given to 919.
Across the country, the report said, a total of 879 personnel were either dismissed from service. The highest dismissals were reported from Jammu and Kashmir (219) followed by Punjab and UP.
The report also said 253 cases of human rights violation by police were reported during 2008. Fourteen policemen were charge-sheeted and eight of them convicted.
