Mumbai: The moto of the Maharashtra Police force is ‘Sadrakshnaya Khalanighranaya’ (to protect good and punish evil). Cops, irrespective of their stature in the force, are often viewed with respect as they are responsible for maintaining law and order in society. They are the ones who keep a check on antisocial elements and struggle daily to ensure that no crime takes places.
But what if the ones who strive hard to bring down crime rates themselves get booked? Yes, this is the biggest irony that the ‘Men in Khakee’ are also the ones who sometimes land in jail for their ‘crimes’. This would obviously not go down well with many but to substantiate this point one can refer the latest data issued by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The Maharashtra Police which is often considered one of the most reliable forces in the country has many achievements in its name.
But the latest ‘feather’ to its cap of achievements is not something to celebrate, but be ashamed of. It has ‘second’ rank in the list of criminal cases registered against police personnel. The statistics reveal that 487 cases have been registered against policemen across the State in the last one year. The data also shows that 388 cops were behind bars for their crime.
Out of 388 cops, nearly 209 of them were chargesheeted, while only 20 were convicted. This means, at least 185 policemen are still awaiting trial. The police department has secured the second rank and has become the second-most corrupt department in Maharashtra. According to the official data of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), a total of 220 cases have been registered against policemen for demanding and accepting bribes. The ACB has also recovered Rs 18,42,000 cash from these corrupt cops.
The number of cases raise an alarm especially after the Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar’s order to all the cops in city police, directing them not to get into corrupt practices.This advisory was issued in 2016 itself and is often reiterated to the department at regular intervals.
Another type of offence which often exposes the ‘cruel’ side of the policemen is custodial deaths. One can obviously not forget the brutal assault and then death of convict Manjula Shetye in Mumbai’s women’s prison by jail guards and officials. The NCRB data highlights that a total of 16 cases have been registered against policemen for torturing or inflicting injuries on accused or undertrials in custody. And no surprises here that not a single cop has yet been convicted in such cases in the last one year.
It would also not be out of place to mention that the Maharashtra police has managed to bag the first rank in opening fire at civilians at different occasions. According to the NCRB data, a total of 44 cases were registered against cops for killing 11 civilians and injuring nearly 55 innocent people along with other cops. Apart from this, 10 cases have been registered against cops in Maharashtra for resorting to lathi charge on various occasions.
