Law opinion
Why
the police misbehaves?
Justice
Mohammad Gholam Rabbani
Ahmed
Siddique is a professor in the faculty of law of the University
of Delhi. He has given answer to the question, in his
book Criminology -- Problems & Perspectives, which
I quote: "People get the government they disserve.
Probably the same is true of the police force also. The
police force of a country can not be very different from
the rest of the society.... Some of the policemen may
be rude but then politeness is not very common phenomenon
in other areas of life either. Not very infrequently one
experiences the same rude behaviour whether it is from
the conductor of a public transport bus or an employee
of a nationalised bank and like."
SK
Ghosh is a retired inspector-general of police of Orissa
in India. He has written a book 'Law and Order' wherein
the answer we read: "The more original, honest and
earnest the Inspector-general or for that matter any other
police officer down to the rank of officer-in-charge for
a police station is, the le{s likely he is to remain in
office."
Nelson
Mandela is a great moral and political leader of our time.
The answer in his autobiography 'Long Walk to Freedom'
is this. He was detained for years in the jail on Robben
Island (South Africa). He wrote, "Badenhorst spoke
to me directly. He told me that he would be leaving the
island, and added, 'I just want to wish you people good
luck.' I do not know if I looked dumb founded, but I was
amazed.... I thought about this moment for a long time
afterwards. Badenhorst had perhaps been the most callous
and barbaric commanding officer we had on Zobben Island.
.... Ultimately, Badenhorst was not evil, his inh}manity
had been foisted upon him by an inhuman system. He behaved
like a brute because he was rmwarded for brutish behaviour."
The
author is a retired Judge, Appellate Division, Supreme
Court.
