A sub-inspector caught on camera kicking an aggrieved protester at the office of the district inspector (DI) of schools on Wednesday was given charge of investigating the same case by his superiors.
The decision raises questions on how seriously Kolkata Police are dealing with complaints of cop excesses.
A police force struggling to cope with a crisis of credibility and dubbed “insensitive” after the RG Kar crime is back under the scanner for the actions of an officer and the reaction of his superiors.
The sub-inspector’s name appears in the FIR registered by the police and submitted to the court. Once that became known and outrage followed, the case was transferred to another officer. Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma said on Friday that he was the “initial IO (investigating officer)” of the case by Kolkata Police convention.
“There is a system called ‘file’. The duty officer maintains all the files. This is a practice. He was the duty officer at that time and, as per the convention, he was the IO and recorded the case. In many cases, IOs are removed later, and the cases are redistributed if there is pressure on the IO. This is a normal practice and has been done earlier, too,” Verma said.
However, several police officers — retired and serving — said the duty officer was made the IO of a case by default only if it was a petty crime.
“In case of heinous crimes or sensitive cases, which need to be handled carefully, the officer in charge of the police station usually weighs the merit of the case and has the discretion to choose the investigating officer who may or may not be the duty officer at that time,” said a retired Kolkata Police officer.
“I have seen so many officers being called from their homes to take up a case if the officer in charge or the superiors feel that the particular officer would do justice to the case. It is never mandatory that the officer who is on file duty has to take up all the cases as the IO,” said the retired assistant commissioner.
Many within the force feel it was “a mistake” to engage the officer in a case where his role was under question.
This case was recorded by the police based on the complaint of the DI of schools, Calcutta, about the breach of the DI office by a group of protesters and their attack on the police and damage to public property.
The footage showing the sub-inspector kicking a protester was circulated widely on social media. Even then, none of the senior officers in Kolkata Police supervising the case had felt the need to re-evaluate the decision to make the sub-inspector the IO of the case. He was removed only after public outrage.
Asked if the officer’s action to kick someone was justified, the police commissioner said it was “not desirable”.
“I have said this before. I am again saying it was not desirable. But we must also see his medical reports. He was slapped on his ears. His spectacles were broken, he had injuries on his chest and groin,” Verma said.
“Had he suffered from hearing loss or any serious injuries, who would have been responsible?” Verma added.
Senior officers said an inquiry had been launched on the allegations against the officer and the probe was underway.
Asked about the police’s role, Verma said: “It is not just about this incident. Earlier, too, we have discussed how to deal with such situations. Many corrective steps have been taken after the RG Kar incident. We keep discussing that a mistake should not be repeated. We have monthly meetings with police station officers.”
