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Indian police
operates outside the law, violates human rights,
employs torture and unprofessional ways, says report
The
Indian government should take concrete steps to overhaul
the policing system that has been for decades
facilitating human rights violations, says a leading
international human rights group.
In its 118-page report, “Broken System: Dysfunction,
Abuse and Impunity in the Indian Police,” the New
York-based Human Rights Watch, documented a range of
human rights violations committed by police, including
arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and extra
judicial killings.
Based on interviews with more than 80 police officers
and 60 victims of police abuses, the report, remarks the
failings of “state police forces that operate outside
the law, lack sufficient ethical and professional
standards, are overstretched and outmatched by criminal
elements, and unable to cope with increasing demands and
public expectations.”
“India is modernizing rapidly, but the police continue
to use their old methods: abuse and threats,” said Brad
Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s time
for the government to stop talking about reform and fix
the system.”
Many police officers interviewed by the HRW believes
that unlawful methods, including illegal detention and
torture, were necessary tactics of crime investigation
and law enforcement.
The newly-elected government had promised to pursue
police reforms actively. HRW says a critical step is to
ensure that police officers who commit human rights
violations, regardless of rank, will face appropriate
punishment.
“Police who commit or order torture and other abuses
need to be treated as the criminals they are,” said
Adams. “There shouldn’t be one standard for police who
violate the law and another for average citizens.”
It described the case of a woman suspect who was killed
in custody and her killing was made appear as suicide.
She was found hanging from a tree, the report said.
HRW does not completely blame the police for the
escalating violation of human rights. It notes that
while not excusing abuses, abysmal conditions for police
officers contribute to violations.
“Low-ranking officers often work in difficult
conditions. They are required to be on-call 24 hours a
day, every day,” it said. “They often lack necessary
equipment, including vehicles, mobile phones,
investigative tools and even paper on which to record
complaints and make notes.”
Adam underlines the need for a paradigm shift, specially
in the conditions and incentives of police officers.
“Officers should not be put into a position where they
think they have to turn to abuse to meet superiors’
demands, or obey orders to abuse. Instead they should be
given the resources, training, equipment, and
encouragement to act professionally and ethically,” says
Adam.
He continues that India’s status as the world’s largest
democracy is undermined by a police force that thinks it
is above the law.
“It’s a vicious cycle. Indians avoid contact with the
police out of fear. So crimes go unreported and
unpunished, and the police can’t get the cooperation
they need from the public to prevent and solve crimes.”
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