Police behaviour

It is sad that even after 65 years of independence, the politicisation of the police has remained a grim reality, taking a heavy toll on its functional autonomy (“Reforms that never come,” April 4).

There is an entrenched belief among people that the police act on the whims of their political masters and are hardly impartial. The long overdue police reforms brook no delay and warrant effective implementation on the ground.

M. Jeyaram,

Sholavandan

The Supreme Court has been harsh on the police force which is entrusted with the unenviable task of maintaining law and order. It is said that a police officer prays that nothing untoward should happen when he is on duty. No policeman derives pleasure in resorting to a lathi-charge or other standard procedures laid down in the manual to control a mob if he can help it.

But what is to be done when a mob tries to overrun the barricade put up to prevent it from entering the enclosure that is out of bounds? There can be differences on the quantum of force used but blaming the police every time it controls a mob is regrettable.

A. Thirugnanasambantham,

Coimbatore