The pursuit of Police Reforms in India seems to have become an interminable, frustrating activity. This arduous task can be compared to the Sisyphean saga. Sisyphus was a Greek mythological king punished by Zeus to roll a huge rock up a steep hill, but before he could reach the top of the hill, the rock would always roll back down, forcing him to begin again. Albert Camus thought that Sisyphus personified the absurdity of human life, but had concluded that the struggle towards the heights itself is enough to fill a man's heart!! Everyone feels that Police methods and mentality need to be reformed, and justifiably so Yet. on-one seems to be taking practical steps in that direction. Some think that first the Police should reform themselves but internal reforms get bogged down by laws, rules and regulations inherited from the British Raj. Political and administrative hurdles hamper the efforts to effect reforms. The police hierarchy has a mental block and the fear of the unknown. The consequences are severe. There are police suicides; there was a case of a superior officer being shot dead by his junior because the former refused leave to the latter. Custodial deaths and torture are rampant while burking of crime is common. The system needs an overhaul. Prodded by the Supreme Court, the Government of India has initiated reforms but the pace is agonizingly slow. The State Government are even slower. Times are changing fast and Police reforms may get outdated before they get implemented. It is a tough task to roll the rock of reforms against inertia and gravity. If the civil society, political leadership, administrators, judiciary and media, all put their shoulders to the task, the reforms are not impossible But the efforts have to begin at once, today, right now.
About the Author: Jayant yashwant Umranikar joined the police force in 1973. He has worked in different capacities as Commissioner, Specail Bureau, Mumbai, Commissioner of Police, Nagpur and Pune as Additional Director General of the Anti-Naxalite Operations and the Chief of State CID. In the course of his career, he has represented India on the Committee of the United Nations 9th Crime Commission, at the United Nations 10th Crime Congress as well as at the Palermo Conference, Italy. He was the Indian 'Alternate Permanent Representative' to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna, Austrie. He has also represented India in the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. In his stint at the Cabinet Secretariat, he contributed to important decisions in the International fight against terrorism. He has expertise on varied subjects such as India-Pakistan relations, the nuclear weapons debate, cyber crime, terrorism and Police reforms. He has published several essays and delivered several lectures on these subjects. He has published book on Crime Investigation Interrogation Techniques and Police Dogs. He was awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 1995 and the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2002. This book, tracing the history of Police reforms and recommendations, is based on his experiences and interaction spanning the 36 year career with the Police, Intelligence and Diplomatic Service. He retired as Director General of Police, special Operations, Government of Maharashtra.
