Our democracy requires constitutional law and order, never forgetting people primarily elected government to ensure their security, safety, welfare and equitable justice for all! Knowing human nature we require a strong Opposition and free Press to effectively question wrongly used unfettered power and not only at election time. India’s USP is democracy with unity in all its vast diversity. Whilst showmanship and event management are impressive in today’s virtual world, the BJP majority government in power is more intent under the main plank of development, national security and Ram Mandir, polarising the country to win elections and “hindutvazing” every aspect of the nation’s lives. We have a section of the society with the BJP/RSS including Bajrang Dal, VHP, Hindu Mahasabha, etc that impose their will against the judgments of the courts or State government orders, if some sentiments are hurt or criticism that is unpalatable to them! Hate speeches and violence with government patronage render the police ineffective. These mobs get encouraged to act as moral police intimidating other sections of society, forwarding the governments narrative severely straining the Constitution and wanting to overpower the judiciary. Strong judicial intervention is people’s great need. Both the Parliament and Judiciary being equally important, Constitution is supreme!
Only armed forces, paramilitary and police are the authorised forces to implement law and order. All other mobs, student unions or any citizen taking the law into their own hands for whatever reason including lynching, beating people to death, etc is absolutely taboo bringing severe retribution by the government. This Parliament and political parties should specifically ensure! The government seems to be taking the people for granted, as can be seen from the no accountability development frenzy, targeted freebies, religious and caste appeasement, increasing digital surveillance and using courts/ police/enforcement agencies to nip any dissent threatening their dominance in the bud! The Congress is sought to be destroyed by every means possible. The corporate and IT industries maybe doing well, but the wide disparities in incomes of the citizens are widening and population overtaking China!
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
NGOs have asked public to help donate blankets for thousands of people living on the streets in Delhi to help them survive the cold wave! The Uttarakhand High Court gave a week’s notice to demolish residents concrete houses, allegedly encroached on railway land with families living there for over 50 years. The Supreme Court has rightly stayed the order as thousands of people cannot be displaced summarily without adequate notice and a rehabilitation package! No questions asked as to why in the first place such encroachments were allowed and permitted to exist and who is to be held responsible, with resultant investigation and deterrent action against the authorities! The Joshimath sinking of land and built up areas, the Mhadei river issue affecting Goa are a stark testament of taking people for granted and people’s helplessness against government hasty decisions! Has justice and humanity vanished?
People have died and families suffered immensely due to demonetisation, economy of country damaged, unorganised sector put into ruin, loss of jobs, not to mention Covid lock down and its aftermath, the potholed roads claiming so many lives, high prices of essential commodities prevailing and whole long list of injustices where there is no transparency and accountability and innocent people have paid/still paying the price! One vital reform which all good citizens agree government must bring if we want the basics of democracy to be strengthened is police reforms! Parliament will not legislate this but use the police to protect themselves compared to security of people to whom today they can do anything they like with impunity because we blindly elect them into power regardless?
To ensure justice it is vital that we have a SMART (sensitive, mobile, accountable, responsible, techno savvy) police, one of Modi’s many slogans elucidated somewhere in 2018. In 2006 the Supreme Court issued seven directives for the States and the Centre for urgent police reforms. Unfortunately it was left to government to legislate reforms accordingly! This most States did cleverly legitimising their old laws and rules. No government wants to release the “caged parrots” against public interest. No civilised nation should have laws like Sedition, UAPA, PMLA, which are against the principles of natural justice! A new public oriented humane professional police away from political manipulation, to act without fear or favour is the need of the hour! To stop our elected government from manipulating citizens and taking them for granted, we need to put pressure on our elected representatives and if need be organise prodding the Supreme Court to follow up and monitor major police reforms which will go a long way to strengthen our democracy and not only ensure equitable justice but it be seen and felt by all people!
The year 2023 is a critical year where the world is facing recession, a deadly Ukrainian war and the virulent Covid pandemic mutating persistently in its many avatars! India is rising and is evaluated as the fastest growing economy with a positive democratic dividend and a PM who has established his reputation in world affairs and aspires to be a Vishwaguru. It is important that we work towards being truly democratic, law-abiding citizens happily strongly united, a morally upright prosperous exemplary governed nation that can credibly project a healthy world order.
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer residing in Porvorim)
