Concept Note
When I joined the I.P.S. in 1953 the freedom fighters who took over the administration from the British never thought of interfering in the day-to-day running of the police force. If they received complaints against a Station House officer they would pass it on to the Supdt. Of Police and leave it to that gentleman to discipline errant subordinates. This arrangement worked well for all concerned. The senior police officer was in charge of his own men, who then looked up to him as their leader. The politicians confined themselves to safeguarding the interests of the general public. If any police subordinate crossed the line and the complaint was brought to the notice of the politician he took up the matter rightly with the Supdt. whose job it was to ensure that the Lakshman Rekha was never crossed. The power to appoint and transfer I.P.S. officers rested with the political bosses. The power to appoint and transfer policemen and officers up to the rank of Dy. Supdt. of Police was vested in different levels of the police hierarchy. Efforts to influence such postings were made from time to time but were politely rebuffed. The problem arose when over ambitious senior officers and venal politicians joined hands to scratch each other’s backs! Once I.P.S. officers began to lobby for postings the politicians took immediate advantage and began demanding their pound of flesh. “There is nothing like a free lunch” is an adage that is relevant when we discuss the politicisation of the police. The cosy system of politicians obliging senior I.P.S. officers to get postings of their choice and the latter, having sold their souls, then obliging their patrons with facilitating transfers of SHOs and others to lucrative posts has driven corruption to new heights and institutionalised it. It has politicised the police, led them to enforce the law according to the wishes of the politicians in power and not according to the Statutes and the Constitution. The Rule of Law no longer prevails! It is the Rule of the politicians in power! The senior police officers are no more the leaders of their own men! Unless people demand that politicians keep their hands off transfers and postings and also investigations of criminal cases politicisation of the police will continue and people will suffer.
About the Speaker
JULIO FRANCIS RIBEIRO born 5th May 1929 in Mumbai and Graduated in Commerce and Law from Bombay University. He joined the Indian Police Service in 1953 and rose to be the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai from February 1982 to May 1985. Later he served in quick succession as Director General – Central Reserve Police, Director General of Police-Gujarat, Special Secretary to the Government of India’s Home Ministry, Director General of Police – Punjab and finally Advisor to the Governor of Punjab. Besides other awards, he is the recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 1987. Post Retirement, he was appointed Ambassador to Romania where he served for four years from 1989 to 1993. He runs two NGOs, the Mohalla Committee Movement Trust (MCMT) for communal harmony in the city of Mumbai and the Public Concern for Governance Trust (PCGT) for good governance and to fight corruption also in Mumbai city.
Date: 19th November, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM
Registration Link: bit.ly/dottalks1119