Dutta report ruffles police feathers

There is a strange sense of déjà vu’ in the police force over the R K Dutta committee report on the recent violence at the City Civil Courts complex and the subsequent action against its officers.

Talk to any senior police officer and he will tell you that they have seen this many times.
It is always the police who are made the scapegoats. Being a law-enforcing agency, the police cannot go against the government. The officers who have been transferred also seem to have accepted this reality.

Though many in the junior ranks of the force were agitated and planned to protest the government action by going on leave or other means, the police leadership managed to dilute the discontent. They have been assuaging the hurt feelings by explaining to the personnel that they cannot resort to such methods of protest, being the law-enforcing agency.

N Nagaraj, SP, Internal Security division and Chairperson of Karnataka State Police Association, told Deccan Herald that the Association had made a representation to the State police chief about their dissatisfaction with the report and the subsequent action against officials. He said the government, in order to ease the situation, had taken a decision.

The decision was the prerogative of the government and they cannot question it, he said. But the resolution of the impasse seems to be one-sided - in favour of the lawyers - who were no innocents and this has angered the force, he said.

He said the Association would demand that all cases filed against everyone, be it advocates or mediapersons, be taken to their logical conclusion. The Association would also appeal to the Advocates Association, Bangalore, to take action against unscrupulous elements in the community as a goodwill gesture.

He said the Association would look into the R K Dutta report in detail and take suitable action. Many officials rue that the committee did not summon, interview or give a chance for them to present their case before the committee, thus violating the principles of natural justice.

Sources said the government had contemplated suspension of the two officers. However, following the intervention of the Association and the DG&IGP, the government watered down the action and transferred the duo.