In a stark contrast to Uttarakhand police personnel tending to get paralysed when criminals sprinkle chilly powder or black pepper in their eyes, Nayaram, manager, Vaish Nursing Home, Dl Road, Dehradun, foiled an attempt to rob him of a bag containing an amount of Rs4.5 lakh when the miscreants did the same to overpower him.
“This is an edifying incident for police. However, it is uncertain whether they would learn a lesson and mend their ways to turn more alert and agile and of course, more committed to the cause they embody,” said an observer.
What happened on last December 15 is well-known. Notorious gangster Amit Malik ‘Bhura’ had escaped from police custody after his aides had sprinkled chilly powder in the eyes of armed policemen when he was being taken to the court in Baghpat.
Humiliated and battered, Uttarakhand Police has constituted a string of teams to nab the contract killer. They keep running hither and thither to trace the fugitive. However, the wily criminal is yet to be caged in.
Another incident might be cited to buttress the point of how laggard and pusillanimous police have been reduced to. Two notorious gangs under two hardened criminals, Cheenu Pandit and Sunil Rathi, fought a gun battle outside Roorkee jail in August last, resulting in three deaths. The armed police did not open fire on the criminals in apprehension of civilian casualty.The cynics in the police department of the State say things are unlikely to change for the better.
According to them, the armed policemen develop cold feet when things warrant them to fire retaliatory shots. This is because they know they would have to explain a lot to their seniors, who are against them firing ‘at the drop of their hats’, said one armed policeman while insisting on anonymity.
However, those less incorrigibly pessimistic think things would be better with the department now taking pains to impart the required training to the armed policemen to prepare them for any confrontation with the armed criminals.
“We are sure, they would not be caught off-guard when the criminals test their nerves and their commitment to the cause they are custodians of,” one senior cop said. What happened with Nayaram is enlightening for all. Criminals threw chilly dust in his eyes in a bid to rob him of the bag containing his company’s amount.
The incident happened in broad daylight in Dehradun on Tuesday when Nayaram had just come out from the nursing home he was working in to deposit the amount in a Central Bank branch located around 200 metre away.
However, the attempt was foiled as the nursing home employee remained alert with his nerves and mooring being erect. Seeing the plan having failed, the miscreants took to their heels.