Ruling by force

Sir — The credibility of the Calcutta police has been dented irreparably after Dipankar Dutta, the high court judge, delivered his verdict on the Rizwanur Rehman case. The judge accused the police of being “unconstitutional, inhuman...and against the rule book” (“Police conduct inhuman, says court,” Aug 15). Dutta’s terse observation on the two kinds of thanas in the city must have rung a bell with many citizens. People go to local police stations expecting redress but they seldom get a positive response from the authorities. Lalbazar, on the other hand, is the exclusive reserve of the “influential”, where double-dealings are straightened out. State police departments seem to have stooped to the level of thugs, using indiscriiminate force and coercion on innocent people to achieve their nefarious goals.

The public has long resigned itself to the idea of the police being paid servants of the rich and politically powerful. In the Rizwanur case, the government, instead of taking necessary steps to cleanse the force’s tarnished image, has openly shielded convicted officers by pleading a stay on the court order. Corruption is so pervasive in the police that few dare to venture on the right path. Recently, the Calcutta high court slapped a fine on the state vigilance commission for harassing inspector-general (welfare), Nazrul Islam, on the basis of a fictitious complaint sent in an anonymous letter. In his order, Justice S.P. Talukdar noted, “It is unfortunate that we are living in a society where a senior officer does not get the appreciation he deserves for his honesty, integrity and dynamism”. The chief minister, who is also the police minister, has systematically destroyed the integrity of the force by ensuring that not a single officer, let alone employees at the lower rungs, dares to remain honest and dutiful. Last month, Sudip Maity, a young traffic sergeant who had complained against his boss for stopping him from performing his duty, was given a punishment posting (“Cop suffers for taking on boss”, July 10). If the government can allow such vindictive action against upright policemen, no amount of judicial intervention would be able to purge the system of its moral decline.

Yours faithfully,
Asit Kumar Mitra, Calcutta

Sir — The Calcutta high court has answered the citizens’ call for justice by directing the Central Bureau of Investigation to frame chargesheets against the seven accused in the Rizwanur case. Apart from the judiciary, the respective police departments should also take strict action against the officers as per service rules. The media should follow the case to its conclusion so that the matter does not get lost in the labyrinths of our legal system or slip out of public memory.

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

Sir — No mercy should be shown to those responsible for Rizwanur’s tragic death. However, one must remember that there are many other couples whose distress stories remain out of the public discourse. For example, serious crimes are perpetrated by the police and family members on young couples who have married outside their caste. These incidents fail to hit the headlines in the way the Rizwanur case has done.

Yours faithfully,
Sunil Kumar Pal, London

Sir — Early August, vernacular papers in Calcutta reported two incidents bearing striking similarities with the Rizwanur-Priyanka saga. In one instance, Sailendra Prasad was cruelly beheaded in Berhampur for marrying Monera Khatun after a shalishi meeting. Shockingly enough, this incident took many days to reach the ears of the concerned administration. In another incident, Arka Banerjee was set on fire by his in-laws for marrying Rehana Sultana.

The state minister for land reform, Abdul Rezzak Molla, has admitted that shalishi sabhas are often called in rural Bengal. He has even stated that these meetings play a beneficial role in settling disputes in the villages. Although the the suspects have been arrested, it is doubtful if anything will come of this. Sometimes, mass protests against an isolated case of injustice, as was witnessed in Rizwanur’s case, have some positive impact. But such incidents do not necessarily remove the rot that has already settled deep in the system.

Yours faithfully,
Sarmi Das Gupta, Calcutta

Gain some, lose some

Sir — By accepting the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission report, the Centre has taken a landmark decision that is going to affect the economy in decisive ways (“Freedom of purse strings”, Aug 15). Although the proposal will be implemented with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006, it is unlikely that the beneficiaries would be able to make much of their dues due to spiralling inflation. Soon state government employees will start clamouring for similar benefits, forcing the authorities to concede their demands before the coming polls. But any such move is bound to destabilize the already shaky market.

Yours faithfully,
N.K. Das Gupta, Calcutta

Sir — It is illogical to permit government employees to enjoy the benefits of the pay-hike with effect from January 1, 2006. A hefty payment in the form of arrears will lead to even further rise of inflation. The price-index has already crossed the danger point and there is considerable pressure on the overburdened exchequer. In the future, the Centre must consider the consequences of a pay hike. As it is, the slump in the drooping market has already created large-scale unemployment.

Yours faithfully,
S.C. Agrawal, Delhi