The number of policemen involved in criminal cases in Kerala is increasing by every passing year, according to documents released by the State Home Department. Close to 1,000 personnel of the State’s 54,000-strong police force are accused of involvement in criminal cases, as per these documents.
The cases against cops range from taking bribe of just `100 to sexually assaulting women and the personnel involved in criminal cases include a Deputy Inspector General who showered abuses on a woman fellow-passenger on a train and civil police officers who publicly manhandle superior officers.
As per the documents released by the Government under provisions of the RTI Act, the number of policemen involved in criminal cases has almost doubled in the past three years. If there were 533 police officials involved in criminal cases in 2011 this number has gone up to over 950 in 2014.
There are even officials in the Kerala Police force who have been accused of attempt to murder, the documents reveal. What is interesting is that most of the police personnel who have found place in the list of criminals are still in service. The remaining officials with criminal cases have either been placed under suspension or are being kept away from responsibilities temporarily.
“I don’t think any common man in Kerala will be surprised by this statistics. The ‘reputation’ of the Kerala Police is that great,” said a retired top police official. “Even after the creation of Jana Mythri (people-friendly) Police Stations, how many would actually want go to the police station to lodge a complaintIJ” he asked.
“Just the two recent incidents in Kochi and Thrissur are enough to remind one about the criminality among our police personnel. A maid servant in Kochi was last month beaten to pulp at the police station over an allegation of theft. A low-ranking police official just last week beat up a 13-year-old boy in Thrissur over a lady’s lost handbag,” the retired official said.
That this growth in the number of cops involved in criminal cases has taken place after the formation of a monitoring committee headed by Additional Directors General of Police in order to monitor and report the illegal activities of police officials and to take necessary action against such personnel.
The Home Department has also released the proposals made by the monitoring committee for controlling criminal acts of and such tendency among the personnel along with the documents. The committee has in its report admitted that it has not been able to take action against erring personnel without delay.
The list also includes officials who had to be sacked and who had to be admitted to de-addiction centres for treatment, as per the recommendations of the monitoring committee. This also proves that the instruction of the Kerala High Court to the Home Department that people with criminal backgrounds should not be allowed to join the police force is not being implemented.
“This list is appalling. Policemen take Rs 100 as bribe. They sexually assault women. One official attacks another. They resort to third degree methods in the lock-up. Then there are the allegations of police officials’ unholy relations with gangs like the sand mafia. All these aspects have to be taken into consideration when we review the police’s conduct,” said an RTI activist.
Among the fourteen districts, Thiruvananthapuram has the highest number of policemen - 125 - involved in criminal cases. However, the retired official said that even the present statistics could not be considered as a statement of facts. “How many cases of police atrocities could have gone unreported just because people are not willing to complain due to fearIJ” he asked.