'Under pressure, cops tread delicate path in line of duty'

Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) Chairperson Meera C Saxena has said police work under pressure, being equally responsive to the government, people and media to do justice to the needy.

At the inauguration of a three-week 12th refresher course in Human Rights  organised by UGC-HRD Centre, University of Mysore here on Friday, she said there is a lot of pressure on the police with the government, people and media baying for their blood whenever a case is reported.

“It is a delicate situation and you have to use a little bit of force as no criminal will confess to the crime. However, the force should not injure them,” she added.

She said, “The men in khaki are the one who have a little big brother attitude. Wearing the uniform itself gives them a sense of power”. The Supreme Court has laid out certain guidelines, such as the police have to mandatorily serve a notice on a person, if they want to quiz him/her. Unfortunately, it is the criminals who are aware of such laws related to Human Rights, she said.

Women, children, differently-abled persons, sexual minorities and those belonging to economically weaker sections are most vulnerable, Meera asserted and added that though women account for 50 per cent of the population, the carapace mindset of the society still treats them as a second class citizen. Similar is the case with children who make for 17 per cent of the population, followed by differently-abled and sexual minorities, she added.

Human Rights classes

Meera said plans are on the anvil to teach Human rights at the school level. “I have been talking to the Education Department to teach about Human Rights to students at different stages of education like primary, middle and high schools, in a method that could be easily understood”. With this, it will not only help target students, but also educate their parents. That apart, the system has been computerised to improve the functioning of the commission and a newsletter will be brought out, she added.