Editor,
In his letter “Tell us the truth about Garo Hills” (ST July 8, 2014), A. J. Kharshiing has asked some pertinent questions to which the DGP must respond. I should like to point out that lack of public confidence in Meghalaya Police has less to do with capability and more to do with other factors, which are stated below:
1) The rank and file of Meghalaya Police is infiltrated by Garo extremists. Information about police operations are leaked in advance. In most cases, the extremists are one step ahead of the police. In a few cases, police are known to have stage-managed operations, for reasons best known to them. Loyalty to the force is skin deep only. It is common to see MLP cadres jumping ship and joining militant groups.
2) The police have zero autonomy, in so far as law and order is concerned. It is a fact that politicians regularly interfere in police matters and throttle investigations. It is also a fact that most politicians are thick as thieves with Garo underground groups. This has degraded police effectiveness and delivered a telling blow to morale. The equation between politicians, police and militants ensures the status quo in Garo Hills. It would take a courageous police officer to upset the applecart. MLP has none in its upper ranks.
3) Questions about performance and declining effectiveness are met with the standard “manpower shortage” response. Be it managing traffic or fighting crime, MLP has a one-size-fits-all supreme excuse for falling short. But the department fails to justify manpower requirement by sharing information on fund outlay and deployment details. Is the staffing shortage a red herring? Is a single yardstick being used to measure efficiency in the different verticals? Will manpower augmentation alone solve the problem of effficiency, which appears to be the real issue plaguing the department?
4) The policeman’s attitude is one of apathy and high-handedness even in normal circumstances. This is how they are perceived by common people. It is not just the ill-trained lower ranks who are guilty of churlish behaviour. Even the middle and upper ranks are vague about dignity of office, public relations and perception management. Police are generally perceived as a tool of politicians and rich businessmen. Law and order comes a distant second to their primary role of protecting the interests of the rich and famous. The DGP needs to introspect and work harder to build better relations with the public. A good way to start would be to curb the over-enthusiastic use of sirens and red lights by police vehicles on VIP duty which regularly bulldoze traffic snarls in cities and more commonly, on highways. Press releases can only get you so far and no further.
Capability itself is not enough. Police effectiveness rests on public confidence. The police have to be allowed a fair degree of autonomy to do their job efficiently in trying circumstances. But in the complex scenario of Garo Hills, their best efforts can only come to nought unless central forces are coopted to take the lead in restoring normalcy. The police should play a supportive role untill the situation is first normalised.
Yours etc.,
R.J Lamare,
Shillong –1
Who cares what HNLC thinks?
Editor,
Frederick Kharmawphlang should stop trying to grab news space for HNLC with cheap stunts. The HNLC is as dead as a Dodo and nobody is interested in his opinion. Now that the golden goose (coal) has stopped laying eggs, HNLC is in dire straits. The organization does not have an ounce of credibility with most people treating them as a joke. Trying to stir up trouble (through others) will not get them far. Kharmawphlang must be inwardly cursing himself for jumping into the frying pan from the fire. I request Shillong Times and other newspapers to stop giving so much importance to the opinions of petty criminals. You can print out their arrest dates, but nothing more please.
Yours etc.,
Larry Marbaniang
Shillong-3