Expressing concern over “worrying bout” of communal violence in some parts of the country, President Pranab Mukherjee today favored strengthening the ability of local administration to quell such tensions in the initial stages.
“These are challenging times for our police forces. There has been a worrying bout of communal violence in some parts of our country, accompanied by deterioration in inter-community relations. There is need to strengthen the ability of our district and local administration to notice such tensions in their initial stages and take necessary measures to contain them quickly,” the President said.
Speaking at the passing-out parade of IPS probationers at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy here, the President said the police was not only a law-enforcing body, but also a pro-active service provider, a partner in growth, development and peace, as police officers, you should always ensure that the grievances of the common man are redressed.
“I am sure that with motivated, self-confident and sensitive leadership, the Indian police force can effectively deal with the challenges before the nation”, the President said. He also noted that India continues to be targeted by terrorism from abroad besides threats from within to internal security. “The government is committed to dealing with Left-wing extremism in a comprehensive manner. It is pursuing a two-pronged approach of conducting pro-active and sustained operations against extremists and focusing attention on development and governance issues in extremist affected areas,” he said.
The country must meet these challenges “head on”, he said, adding the actions of “our police forces must respect the human rights of the people and the letter and spirit of our constitution”. Noting that India’s first Home Minister had created the All-India Services with great expectations, he said Patel had wanted civil servants to maintain utmost impartiality and incorruptability in administration. Patel had also advised civil servants not to take part in politics and not involve themselves in communal wrangles, he said.
The President said this was his second visit to the Academy. In 1993, he visited as deputy chairman of the Planning Commission.
It was passing out parade of 65 RR of IPS officers consisting of 148 trainees. Out of 148 officer-trainees, 136 are IPS officers, including 22 lady IPS officers.
Four Royal Bhutan Police officers, three from Maldives and five from Nepal police were among the 148 police officers.
Dr. J. Geetha Reddy, Ministry for Major Industries and senior officers in the police department were present. Ms. Shalini Agnihotri, IPS IPS, Himachal Pradesh cadre, who received 4 medals in different disciplines stealed the show. (NSS)
