Thank you dear subscribers, we are overwhelmed with your response.
Your Turn is a unique section from ThePrint featuring points of view from its subscribers. If you are a subscriber, have a point of view, please send it to us. If not, do subscribe here: https://theprint.in/
We urgently need decentralisation of the police forces and also the judiciary. We saw recently how the political interests of political parties in power at the centre and at the state suppressed the murder case of Dr Moumita Debnath, a Doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Calcutta
The current structure, a battery of IPS and State Police officers continues the System in the British Raj, a colonial system, to control the colonial subjects and protect the interest of the rulers. Britishers then, political parties now.
The goal and the purpose of a Police Force should be redefined – the protection and welfare of the people (not ministers).
To achieve that, Police forces should be completely local to a locality, and have nothing to do with a State or the Country.
Every panchayat, municipality and municipal corporation – one for each town, city and village in India should be one independent Police District. The total number of towns/cities is around 8000, with 750 villages in India.
The goal of the police forces of a police district is to protect the locals, manned and headed by the locals only, completely decentralized and independent of both the State and the Union Government.
No IPS cadre. A colonial force. No State Police Cadre as well.,
There should be police training colleges all over the country, where citizens get the necessary police training like any Engineering college.
An experienced Police Officer will be directly elected by the locals with a maximum term limit as their Police Chief or the commissioner of the Police District. The eligible person will be without any political affiliation with political parties. Just local individuals.
So, the local police will be accountable only to the local population, not to any chief minister, Home minister, Prime minister, Home Secretary or any political party.
Completely decentralised and local, serving the interest of the locals – and beyond the reach of the state and the union government.
So, a murder case like Dr Moumita Debnath’s will be handled by Local police responsible for her locality and her family.
There is no other way.
Even education should be local. Local school, local teacher recruitment.
Decentralisation is the real democratization, the keys to a vibrant and real democracy.
Funding of such institutions will be guaranteed by the constitution. A part of the state/centre revenue will automatically diverted to fund these local police systems – with zero political interferences.
CM and PM can have their own police forces to protect their life and interests.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.