Hyderabad, March 31: A bevy of senior officers up to the rank of Inspector Generals of police (whose services have been requisitioned from other branches of AP Police) have been deployed for riot duties.
Yet, the rioting shows no sign of abating. Why? Senior cops themselves admit that their juniors officers at the cutting edge level of inspectors and assistant commissioners are on a non-cooperation mode. “To say they are on a non-cooperation mode will be an exaggeration. Rather they are going strictly by the rule book and therefore violence shows no signs of abating,” a senior IPS officer told TOI.
As per the procedures laid down, when confronted with a riotous crowd, police officials are first supposed to issue warnings, failing which order lathicharge and lob tear gas shells. If everything fails, then they are to order firing. Police officials said that they know that a trouble mongering crowd can never be controlled by lathicharge and tear gas shells.
“Lathicharge is totally ineffective in such situations and that is why rioting crowds – of both the saffron and green variety – are having a field day,” a cop said. He pointed out that cops are mainly operating on the main roads and when the lathicharging policemen chase the crowds, the latter melt into the lanes and bylanes. “The policemen do not want go into the bylanes, even when they know that stabbing incidents are on there,” said an observer.
But why are the operational level policemen failing to rise to the occasion? Senior cops say that is a fallout of the violence in the wake of the Mecca Masjid blast when a couple of persons were killed in police firing. The police official who ordered the firing and some others are facing a probe and have been issued charge-memos. “Their career is in jeopardy. The officer who ordered the firing is asserting that he did so because a huge crowd was on the verge of putting a petrol bunk on fire. That would have led to a huge loss of life. But who will listen to him?,” the cops say.
Junior level police officials admitted that both the director general of police and commissioner have urged them for strict action. “But why should we? There is a failure of leadership, they will not come to save us when we are in trouble. They do not have any moral right over us,” an assistant commissioner level officer said. He pointed out how the senior cops while giving orders to take strong action themselves failed to take any. “Anybody with common sense would have realised that the huge Hanuman Jayanthi procession had a potential to create trouble. Then why was permission given to them?” the officer asked. Perhaps faced with criticism that the cops are found wanting, Hyderabad policecommissioner A K Khan said on Tuesday that the officer on the ground has been given the freedon to take strict measures including resorting to shooting if the situation requires.
-Agencies