The State Police Chief (SPC) should take steps to specially instruct police personnel on good manners to be shown while interacting with the public, State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has said.
It will be better if policemen addressed a member of the public as sir/madam or use any other respectable salutation, SHRC Acting Chairman P. Mohanadas says. “Those in uniform in general have an arrogant streak and consider themselves licensed to behave rudely to any one. This has to change,” he says.
The suggestion comes in response to a petition filed by Anoop G. of Kozhikode claiming he was spoken to rudely by a policemen for a simple traffic violation. “Traffic violation is not a huge crime that warrants such rude behaviour. The police could charge him for the violation with respect. They should stop treating everyone as criminals,” Mr. Mohanadas says.
Anoop’s complaint was one of the 119 that the commission heard on Tuesday. Fifty of the petitions were disposed of. Majority of the complaints received pertained to police atrocities, Mr. Mohanadas says. “It has been noted that if the commission asks for an explanation from the higher officials on such petitions, the petitioner is often charged for offences he never committed. The petitioners are being victimised for the crime of approaching the commission seeking justice,” he says.
Disciplinary action
The Commission will recommend disciplinary action against such officials if the veracity of the petitioner’s statement is ascertained. “There are instances in which a group of officers act as a caucus and suppress the truth. They submit false report to the commission. We have our own investigation wing that will conduct the inquiry on such occasions,” he says.
But just in case the petitioner cannot prove his claim, the commission will not be able to take relevant actions. In such a circumstance, there is need for an independent investigation agency under the commission that was not controlled by the police department. “There have been efforts to bring amendment to the Protection of Human Rights Act in this regard, but in vain,” Mr. Mohanadas says.
