Click to play videoNew Delhi: During a talk at DGP’s conference Home Minister P Chidambaram lashed out at state governments for treating policemen like "footballs".
“It is unfortunate that police officers are kicked around like footballs,” Chidambaram said articulating in real life what reel life has documented for decades.
His lament is backed by data that puts several state governments to shame. According to the records, the Mayawati government is said to be the worst in this matter.
Between 2007 and 2009, four top officers were transferred within 24 hours of taking up their posting. In the same period, as many as 25 officers were transferred summarily within just three days of assuming their office.
In the last two years, 49 officers in UP were shunted out of their posts within just seven days of joining. And 144 officers, including many at the senior most levels, were thrown out of office within a month of taking over. A record 609 officers, including top cops, were summarily moved out within a year of assuming office.
“Some of them don’t even unpack because they know they will be kicked around again, so just a few utensils and toiletries,” an expert said.
This despite a historic Supreme Court ruling in 2006 that clearly defines tenures and transfers of police personnel. According to the rule book, from SHO to DGP will have fixed two-year tenures and they can only be tranferred on charges of corruption and violation of police rules.
But states hide behind their constitutionally-guaranteed right to control and organise the police force.
This isn’t a distinction exclusive to Uttar Pradesh, states like Punjab, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh too are among the offenders. For far too long the political class has viewed the police as a means to their political ends, not realising that making the administration weak is nothing but scoring a self goal.
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