Police transfers, stress and suicides

The untimely deaths of two Karnataka police officers, Inspector Timme Gowda and PSI Parashuram, earlier this month have brought into focus the issue of political interference in police transfers. The department had recently transferred both officers from police stations to ‘non-executive’ posts ‘prematurely’.

Parashuram’s wife claimed that the local legislator’s demands for a bribe to transfer him back to the police station caused him extreme stress, resulting in his death. She alleged that officers have to pay ‘huge’ bribes to politicians for their postings, and even after paying, their tenure is not secure.

While we don’t know the exact cause of Timme Gowda’s suicide, police officers privately state that without paying huge bribes to political bosses, no officer will get an ‘executive’ (uniform-wearing) post. Depending on the ‘lucrativeness’ of each post, the demand for bribes ranges from a few lakhs to even a crore rupees.

The uneven distribution of ‘executive’ and non-executive posts in the department has caused this problem. Everyone wants to be in the powerful executive posts forever and this gives rise to cut-throat competition.

Due to the limited availability of executive posts, dozens of officers approach politicians for a single position. The ‘highest bidder’ may not always get what he/she wants. Caste, creed, and political affiliation also matter. Once the successful bidder secures a posting of his choice, he has to keep his godfather in good books by satiating his wants. Otherwise, the officer risks getting shunted out prematurely. This has given rise to immense levels of corruption and eroded discipline.

To address political interference in police postings and transfers, the Supreme Court directed the setting up of Police Establishment Boards and mandated fixed tenures for police officers. But these boards have surrendered their independence to political masters and now function as rubber stamps. The tenure rule is often disregarded, citing one reason or the other.

In today’s political atmosphere, it is impossible to keep a politician away from the posting of police officials. But there is a way out. The chief minister or home minister can ask MLAs who approach them for police transfers to give a panel of five names for each police station. No politician should make more than one or two such requests in a calendar year, and the police station concerned should fall within their constituency. This request should be passed to the Establishment Board (EB) concerned. The EB may consider the panel and select an officer based on suitability and merit. This approach will not only reduce the bidding process but also make the selected officer more accountable to the department rather than the political master.

Once a legislator assigns an officer to a police station, he should not seek the officer’s transfer before the completion of the officer’s tenure. Premature transfer should only occur on administrative grounds. If the legislator has a complaint against an officer, disciplinary action should be taken on the basis of an enquiry. If the officer’s performance is satisfactory, he should not be transferred prematurely.

To address the issue of demand for posting to executive posts, a system of compartmentalising officers based on their aptitudes such as investigation, public order management, cybercrime, traffic management, police administration, etc., should be considered. Postings should be made based on an officer’s aptitude and ability. It must also be ensured that no officer remains in the same post for more than four years at a time.

Transfers and postings are not the only sources of stress for police officers. The workload in a police station has also increased exponentially, making it difficult for a Station House Officer (SHO) to take leave or weekly off. And with the new criminal laws coming into force, the work has doubled. The staff strength in a police station is inadequate for today’s needs. Besides, subordinates are vary of taking responsibility. An SHO has to work 24x7. He rarely gets holidays and weekly offs, causing immense stress. These issues also need to be addressed urgently.

Merely training officers in stress management, yoga, and meditation without providing adequate time to practice them is ineffective. Most cops are hesitant to seek counselling because they fear it might cost them their coveted postings.

It is high time we overhauled the existing police system to prevent its further erosion.

(The writer retired as Director General of Police, CID, Karnataka)