Saturday Interview | ‘Police should serve disadvantaged’

Anoted social activist, AMOD KANTHhad a exceptional profession as an IPS officer in Delhi and different states of the nation.

His final two vital assignments had been in Goa and Arunachal Pradesh as Director-Common. He based an NGO, Prayas Juvenile Help Centre Society, which works for cover, improvement and rehabilitation of marginalised youngsters and girls.

It runs varied programmes regarding road and dealing youngsters, youngster safety and juvenile justice, prevention of trafficking of kids and girls, and expertise and vocational coaching.

A recipient of the President’s Police medal for meritorious service, Kanth is presently additionally serving as a member-coordinator of the NITI-CSO Standing Committee of the NITI Aayog.

In an interview with RAKESH KUMAR, Kanth shares his ideas on a variety of points moreover touching upon his newest e-book, a memoir about his stint as an IPS officer.

Excerpts:

Q. Might you define the work and aims of Prayas Juvenile Help Centre Society?

A. The organisation got here into existence in 1988. It was purely on the decision of obligation as a result of at the moment I occurred to be a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Delhi.

Within the 80s, Delhi had a number of regulation and order issues and there have been many severe crimes and counter-terrorism actions. That was the time when many youngsters had been misplaced and located. Adults might have been taken care of simply however not the youngsters, who got here into the care of Delhi Police.

Each day we used to get 30 to 40 lacking youngsters in our police stations. However we didn’t have any services. Subsequently, it was a necessity to create a programme wherein these youngsters might be cared for. That is how Prayas got here into existence.

At some point, there was an enormous hearth in Jahangir Puri’s slum space. Then LG of Delhi H L Kapur requested me to accompany him to the positioning. I had nothing to research there however I got here throughout numerous youngsters who had turned homeless after their huts had been gutted.

That gave me one more reason and an enormous alternative to start out Prayas. The concept of Prayas was to take care of youngsters who went the incorrect approach, youngsters who had been uncared for and those that wanted care and safety.

Q. How do you take a look at the evolution of Prayas over the past three many years?

A. Immediately, Prayas is without doubt one of the largest voluntary organisations within the nation because it employs a pool of pros — social employees, well being employees and neighborhood employees.

We’ve got 200 centres in 10 states together with Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Island, and straight serve 50,000 marginalised youngsters. We even have 38 residence shelters which embody juvenile houses, houses for homeless youngsters and houses for homeless folks.

We even have a well being programme, youngster safety programme, ability improvement programme and a big scale catastrophe administration programme.

Q. What are the challenges that the voluntary sector is presently dealing with in India?

A. Immediately, the voluntary sector is at a crossroads. A number of new guidelines and laws like FCRA are launched each different day. Let me let you know, in the course of the Covid time, these voluntary organisations did an excellent job. All through this era,

I used to be myself on the sector. We offered meals to 1.65 lakh folks in the course of the Covid time and in addition gave shelter to 25,000 youngsters and adults in shelter houses. We had been operating a major well being centre and a quarantine centre in Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar.

Round 3,000 Prayas employees, working in several capacities are on the frontline. Nevertheless, the voluntary sector is dealing with quite a lot of issues by way of funding and help from the federal government. I believe we must always handle this sector.

Q. You have got simply written the primary quantity of your memoir, ‘Khaki in Mud Storm-Police Diaries Guide-1’, about your journey as an IPS officer by way of the tumultuous interval between 1980 and 1991. How would you describe it and what compelled you to jot down this e-book?

A. All through my profession, I had a behavior of writing a diary. Throughout my tenure, I had an opportunity to deal with many excessive profile circumstances. This primary quantity which begins from the 1980s, talks about these occasions.

In keeping with me and a few media additionally, the 1980s was probably the most violent decade of the nation after Partition. This was the time when extremism and terrorism grew exponentially. We critically confronted inside issues in Punjab. In 1984, after Operation Blue Star and Indira Gandhi’s assassination, a riot occurred in Delhi.

On this e-book I’ve talked in regards to the developments which led to Operation Blue Star, state of affairs after assassination of Indira Gandhi and the 1984 riots. At the moment, I used to be DCP of Central Delhi, which was probably the most delicate district in Delhi. Riots had been higher managed, if not completely managed in my space.

We took a number of strict measures to manage the riots like opening hearth on mobs and carried out plenty of inquiries. The Raganathan Fee report additionally appreciated our district’s work.

After a yr, in 1985, transistor bomb blasts occurred in Delhi and adjoining areas. It was the time when a number of assassinations occurred within the nation. Then Delhi additionally had a significant drug drawback. Total, this quantity is in regards to the tumultuous experiences I encountered as an IPS officer within the 1980s.

Q. Delhi Police has come below a cloud for its inept dealing with of the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. It was accused of even being complicit in it.What’s your tackle this matter? And,along with your expertise of policing in the course of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, do you see any parallels between them?

A. Initially, we will’t examine the 2 conditions. When the 1984 riots occurred, Delhi Police had been extraordinarily unwell geared up. Then, Delhi Police had solely 30 to 40 cellular vans in your complete metropolis. Additionally, the manpower was small. Not solely this, even Delhi had a management disaster.

Total, Delhi Police was in dangerous form these days. Now, Delhi has greater than 4,000 cellular vans. The 1984 riots occurred in your complete metropolis of Delhi however riots in 2020 occurred solely in a single space. Greater than 700 circumstances had been registered in 2020 riots whereas within the 1984 riots not many circumstances had been registered. Additionally, investigations are being carried out in Delhi riots.

Subsequently, it’s not proper to check the 2 circumstances.

Q. What’s your prescription for reforming police within the nation?

A. The Indian Police Act 1861 is a direct end result of India’s First Warfare of Independence in 1857, known as the Sepoy Mutiny. This regulation was made to serve the British Empire.

Sadly, until date, standard policing in India is being managed by way of the 1861-vintage Indian Police Act and the troika of felony legal guidelines, i.e. CrPC, IPC and Proof Act. These legal guidelines don’t help the police as a service meant for the poor and the socially disadvantaged, youngsters, girls, disabled, aged, and the like.

There’s a belief deficit between police and folks, and it’s a huge drawback. Subsequently, neighborhood oriented policing needs to be there. Disadvantaged folks like girls, youngsters, disabled folks, Dalits, poor and backward needs to be given utmost precedence by policemen. These folks require service, not the wealthy or politicians.’