Indore : State Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya’s letter to DIG SK Singh about police excesses in forcing markets to close down by 11pm has sparked a wide-spread criticism of tactics used by the cops to curb crime in the City.
VK Agnihotri (IPS) (Retd), who has held a number of positions in the City, said that Indore is city of culture and tradition and socialisation starts at ‘Chat Chaupati’, where families and people meet to exchange views and information.
Agnihotri said that policing in Indore is a social activity and therefore public representatives need to be taken into confidence before taking such steps. He welcomed the letter written by Vijayvargiya and said that his views were true to a large extent.
Agnihotri further said the ‘unofficial’ policing manual prescribes that any new officer must implement new methods to establish himself when he takes up a new position. But, merely closing shops will not curb crimes, he said, and added that during his tenure he never had to resort to such tactics to control crime.
“Action against criminals should be a constant activity and not a periodical drives. The police should instil fear in criminals and not the general public,” he added.
SK Raut, former Director General of Police, echoed similar sentiments and said that there are other alternatives to control crimes which the city police should explore.
He said policing can never be successful if public representatives are not taken into confidence. On contrary, closing of shops actually indicates police failure to control crime, he added.
Ramprasad Sharma, who sells Chhole Tikia at Sarafa, said that in 50 years of business, he never had any police officer order closure of shops.
“Families come for snacks at night and not criminals and therefore closing these shops is not going to curb crimes,” he said adding on other hand wine shops close at 11.30 pm with ‘blessing from the government’ and Ahatas at midnight – so why is this discrimination.
Anna Chourasia, a pan kiosk vendor at Rajwada, said that he has never seen crime committed before his shop in his lifetime. People come to have pan only after dinner, after 11pm and there is no point closing shops before that.
