Cops turn robbers
Under the gaze of some intense media coverage, the Goa police and the government is on the defensive.They have been compelled to finally concede what
every citizen along the coastal belt was well aware of—the dubious links between policemen and local crime, particularly the illicit drug trade which spells huge returns on investments. Earlier this week, five policemen were arrested for their
suspected links with the drug mafia. They were slapped with Prevention of Corruption Act charges, and also the generic “criminal conspiracy” charge.
While this is a noteworthy development in itself, one cannot but be cynical, given the manner in which the authorities have systematically ignored the drug problem, particularly in coastal Goa. This concern has been felt here since the late
‘sixties and early ‘seventies; it is a bit too late in the day for the police to be telling us that they were not aware all along of the situation in tiny Goa. Are we to believe that junior cops could carry on the rackets they are accused of without the knowledge of their seniors? Or that the “people’s representatives”, our politicians, were unaware of what was happening in their own backyard? It is time indeed for the citizen to be alert, to be careful about what he believes, and to press for a major clean-up of the system. Even in the information that is being highlighted,
there’s no guarantee that leaks could help some of those linked to drug wars, while selectively targeting only a few. Given the seriousness of the situation, it would be better for the Central investigation agencies to be involved.
The police have a big job before them. They need to regain the trust of the citizen, and show that they are willing to take action, at the lowest to the highest levels. To demonstrate that they are willing to stand up even when the trail leads to
the homes of their political masters. You can trust the media to keep on, after this story, at least for some time. If nothing else, it still has shock value. But the
Fourth Estate too has the task of ensuring that it doesn’t lose interest in this story—which actually has been eating at the very vitals of Goa for the past three to four decades—when it seems less dramatic.Narcotics doesn’t just result in corruption. It eats away at our political system. It distorts our policing, as we have seen all too dramatically. It pulls away people from more productive professions, and unnecessarily kills those in the peak of their youth. Because of the huge returns it offers, it distorts the priorities of an entire society. One can only wait to see what stand is taken by varied players in this activity. Not too long ago, we were told that the police were badly understaffed, and hence needed expansion.
Amidst some controversy, the earlier BJP-dominated alliance went about packing the police force with new recruits. Today, it is increasingly apparent, that without supervision and guidance and proper accountability, an expanded police force can play an expanded negative role.
Judging politicians
Anewly-elected zilla parishad member is drawing some attention because he is visiting his electorate—like few other politicos do—after winning the polls.
This would strike us as unusual. More so, as politicians in Goa are mostly known to be fast at forgetting their electorate once the elections are over. But is this a fair criteria on which to judge a politician?What should we be expecting from our elected representatives and legislators?
Transparency? Honesty? Working in the interest of their electors? Or, is that simply expecting too much? Can we just expect legislators to do their job well, framing good laws, without us expecting favours and out-of-turn requests in our
scarcity-prone economy—which in turn only allows them to take us collectively for a ride?
