INDIAN POLICE

In 1971, an all time hit Hindi movie – Pakeezah was released. There was a song in the film with mukhada – Inhin logon ne le linha dupatta mera……The antara of the song with the line – Hamari na mano sipahiya se puchho, jisane bazariya me chhina dupatta mera (If you don’t believe me, ask the constable himself who snatched my dupatta in open market) truly reflects the original character of Indian police. Any good civilian always avoids going to a police station for lodging complaints against anti social elements for the atrocities of low degree. Women rarely restore courage to contact a policeman for daily eve teasing incidents. In police stations they are afraid of more serious eve teasing. The entire police department is run by black money. Right from appointment of constables to the transfer/posting of top officers, heavy kick backs always play an important and decisive role. The police department is deeply plunged from top to bottom in the ocean of corruption. In Varanasi, any truck, tractor or bus can move to any part of city, any time by paying Rs. Ten only to the constable posted at the check post of the no entry zone. This is the story of every city more or less. Policemen pay less attention to crime control and more to money making. Sometimes when they are forcibly sent for hard duties like encounters due to one reason or the other, best known to top rank and file, they have to face heavy casualties as they are not mentally and physically prepared for odd duties. Only a month ago, the nation viewed on TV, an encounter of one dacoit, Ghanshyam Kewat near Chitrkoot. Nearly 500 policemen armed with latest weapons struggled for more than fifty hours. The dacoit managed a successful escape killing four policemen but luck deceived him. While crossing nala, he was hit by bullets and forced to breathe his last to the good luck of policemen. It was a fight of one versus five hundred.

The entire system of police department lacks vision, training, zeal, guidance, professionalism and honesty. Sometimes for eye washing and proving their existence, our policemen go for fake encounters – the tally of which is bigger than actual encounters.

After independence, a complete overhauling of police department was required but unfortunately nothing could be done. The working of police is unchanged. They still live in pre independence era. Political interference, insensitive bureaucracy and deep rooted corruption have made the department ineffective and unreliable in the eyes of common people. Discipline always comes from top. The government with strong will power of eradicating corruption and overhauling the department by implementing reforms suggested by different commissions time to time may check allegedly fake encounters in future. The government and police must first win the confidence of peace loving disciplined civilians with friendly behavior.

Gavaskar : 60, not out

On July 10, last, the cricket loving people of the world celebrated 60^th birth day of legendary Padmbhushan Sunil Manohar Gavaskar who has been the strongest childhood images for a generation. It was amazing to watch him, frozen in his stance, having left the ball alone, bat pointing down the pitch, holding the stare of a glaring fast bowler. When Sunil Gavaskar started his career, India was lacking even a slow medium pacer for practice session. The feat of Gavaskar is unique in its nature as he achieved it by always facing the new balls delivered by the fastest bowlers of the world of their time – John Snow, Bob Willis, Ian Bothom of England, Holding, Marshall, Roberts, Garner of west Indies, Lilly, Thompson of Australia, Imran, Sarfaraj of Pakistan and Richard Hadlee of New Zealand in the very beginning of all the innings of his record studded career as the finest opening batsman, the world has ever produced. He always replied the speed and bounce of the fiery bowlers with his technique on all the fast wickets of the world. He loved to use his bat for his protection rather than wearing a helmet. His performance and achievements are as high as the crown of mother India – the great Himalayas.

Before Gavaskar took the rein of Indian batting in his strong hands, we were used to hear the story of defeats only by any cricket playing country. Who can forget his debut Test series in West Indies where the world watched a lad making centuries and double centuries in a row enabling his team to clinch the series from the mighty jaw of great Garry Sobers. The record of run scored by a new comer in his debut series is still unbeaten. The borne genius scored 650 plus in series with an average of 200 plus. India started tasting victory on foreign soil due to toil of unparallel Gavaskar. Before him it was a dream only. It will never go beyond the memory of cricket lovers, the most memorable day of Indian cricket, the 28^th day of December 1983, when the Little master Gavaskar, the history man of the world cricket, flicked Winston Davis of his toes to square leg for his 30^th Test hundred eclipsing the three-decade-old record of 29 centuries by Sir Don Bradman of Australia. It was a day, indeed, for every Indian to raise his head with pride and happiness. He was the first to break the 10,000 run barrier also.

Master blaster Sachin Tendulakar remembers Gavaskar on his 60^th birthday with his tributes, “ I am always in awe of him. I wanted to make the most of my good fortune in being privy to the wisdom of Sunil Gavaskar. When our coaches told us to follow a particular routine and we asked why, the reply was Sunil Gavaskar did this. He was the ultimate example, and to our coaches and to us, if he did something, then we had to do it as well. That’s also one of his great contributions to Indian cricket. Whichever way you may look at it, he is an institution. When he retired, for our generation, 34 Test hundreds was the ultimate ambition. For me, he still is and will continue to remain my hero.”

As a cricketer, he is well known to every body. But in his second innings after retirement, he has set up many milestones also as commentator, writer, administrator and advisor. The recipient of Padmabhushan award and the honour of Sheriff of Mumbai, Sunil Gavaskar has been inducted in the ICC hall of fame. The Border-Gavaskar trophy has been instituted in his honour.

It is the right time to confer Bharat Ratna to this one of the greatest sons of mother India, Sunil Manohar Gavaskar for his sky touching achievements and contributions to world cricket in general and Indian cricket in particular in the auspicious year of his 60^th birth day. Let us hope, government of India will think over in this direction.

JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED

The motive behind setting up enquiry commission is not truth finding. The real motive behind is dumping the burning issues in a deep freezer beyond the memories of common people and the other motive is to provide re-employment to a retired judge of ruling party’s choice. Three commissions have been constituted so far to inquire the mysterious death of Netaji’s Subhash Chandra Bose, one Jain commission for Rajiv gandhi’s Assasination case, three for Godhra-riots, Shah commission for access of emergency with no line of action till date. Reports of numerous enquiry commissions are lying in the shelves of different ministries. Liberhan commission was set up to inquire how Babri masjid was demolished. Justice M.S.Liberhan took 17 years in finding facts which are known to every citizen of India. Justice delayed is justice denied. Had the Allahabad High court made it reserved judgment public on ownership of contentious 2.77 acres in the temple town before demolition of the mosque, the accident could have been avoided. A lot of public money was spent on controlling riots and useless Liberhan commission thereafter. But who cares for tax payers’ money. A good chunk of it is always consumed by government machineries in the form of scams, scandals, security of VIPs, foreign tours, MP/MLA funds and enquiry commissions.