He is four score years and five; yet age has neither marred the grace and pace of his movements nor has dampened his spirits for work. His book My life and times in IPS vividly depicts his pioneering role which he undertook, be it during the anti-insurgency operations in Nagaland, Maoist violence and mayhem in West Bengal or in the Khalisatni movement in Punjab.
Biswakesha Tripathy remembers with retrospective reverie his eventful days. His prophetic utterances bear far-reaching implications for the present generations and future generations of police officers when he says that all roads to corruption will end when police officers think themselves as the servants of the Indian Constitution and the law of the land instead of behaving like weathercocks being swept by every gentle breeze. In an interview with The Pioneer, he spoke to Sugyan Choudhury from his residence near CRP Square.
What made you to choose a career in IPSIJ
That was not actually my first choice. Initially, I was preparing to become a musician. I had received teachings under various gurus of the times. But at a certain stage, I realised that a musician’s life would not provide me adequate income to support any family and my parents who depended on me. Thereafter, I joined the job of a teacher in a college in North Assam. But in those days, the salary of a teacher in a college was too meagre to meet any needs. Then, I sat for the competitive examinations and was selected for the IPS. I joined the cadre in 1954.
There is a general perception prevailing among people that there exists a nexus among politicians, police and criminals. How can one overcome such a scenario from our societyIJ
You see, politicians of our country after Nehru’s era and thereafter became corrupt. They established their nexus with corrupt businessmen, bureaucrats, top police officers; gradually that has pervaded all the various other strata of our society.
I can proudly say that when I joined the cadre, there was absolutely no corruption. Corruption was only confined to the lower rungs of the police administration, say, to the level of Sub-Inspector and to a few DSPs. But it never touched the higher echelons of the police administration. But now, it is a fact that top bureaucrats, judicial officers, senior police officers are corrupt. It pains me to say so. But that is what has actually happened. Police were corrupt during the British days. Those days, there were two corrupt departments, Police and Railways. later on, all other departments vied with one another to make money. Only tough action can set them right. You can very well see how police abroad are so strictly following law. Here, people take liberty with police and, hence, there is laxity in law. People are not at all afraid of police and law. Strict enforcement of law will cure the malady regardless of power or position. That is the need of the hour to do away with the nexus.
Is Macaulay’s law, i.e., the IPC irrelevant todayIJ
It is a very good law. Some of its sections like attempting suicide, etc., have become obsolete. The Government of India has had set up a law Commission to look up into the matter as to which sections have become redundant and, hence, to replace them by promulgating new law. Barring the exceptions of a few sections, the IPC of Macaulay is still relevant today for our society.
Is Police Manual outdatedIJ
Yes, the Police Manual stands outdated today and needs a thorough overhauling as per the recommendation of the law Commission. The Government of India had already set up a Police Commission led by Dharamveer, an ICS officer of repute, and Rustamjee, an IPS officer of renown, to look into the issue. They along with other members recommended changes in the Police Manual which have not yet been implemented.
Why in India and especially in Odisha our police force is lagging behind their foreign counterpartsIJ
Not only in Odisha but also in the country, our police force is lagging behind the modern developed countries. But that does not necessarily mean that we are lagging behind the Third World countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sir lanka and many others. There are worse police forces in other counties than ours. But that is no excuse. The police force has to be modernised to make it more and more result-oriented. Consider the case of Odisha where innumerable vacancies exist starting from the constable to the level of DSPs and SPs, but the Government is not fulfilling these posts possibly due to financial reasons. Shortage of manpower results in mismanagement in police administration.
Custodial deaths are occurring even after 68 years of Independence. What is your reaction to itIJ
Custodial deaths occur in police stations where the concerned investigating officer loses his patience to elicit information from the suspect and applies physical torture without resorting to civilised practice. This also occurs due to peer pressures like top administrative officers, police officers and politicians putting pressure on the lower rungs of the police to get the crime detected. In such cases, without applying modern methodology and technical knowhow the case sometimes leads to custodial death. This is highly abominable and should be nipped in the bud.
How could the police be immune to political pressure and be a trusted friend of the common manIJ
I have already told you the recommendation of the Dharamveer Commission for division of the police administration into two separate wings in each police station area. One is to look after the law and order situation while the other is to look into the investigation of cases only. But that has not happened yet. If this happens then at least one portion of the police administration will be from political interference, and in case of the latter, the influence will be minimised.
What is your message to the present and future generations of IPS officers and peopleIJ
My message is one and clear. “You are the servants to the Indian Constitution and the law of the land. Act according to law and know nothing above or below it; then the image of the police will be raised higher.