BLUNT BUTCHER
Finally, the Army has lodged a counter FIR in response to the case registered by Jammu and Kashmir Police over the killing of two stone-pelters in a Shopian village in the Valley, naming, inter-allia, Major Aditya. The counter FIR has rattled the top cops and demoralised the entire police force in the State for obvious reasons.
Filing of FIR by the Army speaks of the ownership of its men and officers working on ground in the hostile Valley by the top brass that comes under direct control of the Centre. It also reflects the patronage of the command bestowed upon ranks down below. This is something the huge police family in Jammu and Kashmir lacks due to weak command or leadership.
The weak command in Jammu and Kashmir Police has witnessed a valiant officer Dy Superintendent of Police Mohammed Ayub Pandit getting lynched in Jamia Masjid, Srinagar and his top brass only shedding crocodile tears, giving shoulder to his body and laying wreaths. Is it what the command is about in the State police? This question is worrying all the ranks, who are working in as difficult conditions as the army in the Valley and as badly as one can under the whimsical political leadership.
Has Jammu and Kashmir Police been able to get a leader like General Bipin Rawat who defended the action of tying a stone-pelter with bonnet by of a jeep by Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi (against whom FIR had been lodged) to avert an ugly situation and warned pelters that they too would be treated as terrorists? Has Jammu and Kashmir got a leader like super-cop K. P.S Gill, who stood by his men even during the worst of horrendous situation in Punjab?
Jammu and Kashmir Police force is feeling demoralised because they see nowhere a defendant, who can own up their bonafide actions during the call of duty. They can be just scapegoats because of their bosses’ slavery attitude towards political masters. The frustration within the ranks is so rampant that a middle rung police officer, on the condition of anonymity, mocked at the top brass by quoting the qualities of a good general, as elucidated the top US cop Rick Bruno. The former police commander had spelled out some of the qualities of good chief of a belt force as, “Good cops are those who do not avoid complicated assignments, and do not wait for calls to come their way. They face their responsibilities head on…They are not afraid to stand up in court and testify to the truth…They are at your side going into a hot call, and do not look the other way when it would be easy to do so…They work the toughest shifts in the toughest neighbourhoods, have outstanding courage and character, and never feel they have learned enough of the job…They do not seek accolades or recognition – only the respect of their peers”.
This is yearning of a police officer, who like many others, watches his men falling to bullets of terrorists but fail to get justice due to ‘yes sir’ character of their bosses; who finds action against police officers and personnel while taking on land-grabbers to please their political bosses who have soft corner for the encroachers; who sees his fellow officers and men being tortured for not obeying unscrupulous diktats of political masters because it harms the interests of their bosses; who is peeved over the mindset of treating life of a policeman just a few lakh rupees of ex-gratia and job to next of kin; who is deeply pained over the ignorance or deliberate lie of his DGP about inclusion of Major Adhitya in the FIR in Shopian case.
Standing by his men has endeared General Rawat among his vast mast of armed forces but can this be said about the Jammu and Kashmir Police force, which is fully aware about the vulnerability of their bosses, who have tuned to ‘yes sir’, ‘yes mam’ culture because of their vested interest. They know their bosses will start crawling even if asked just to bow by their political bosses because for their own interest they can sacrifice anyone. They have desperately witnessed the lowest levels their bosses stooping to save their positions.
The weak command is generating a depressing feeling among all ranks of the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The ownership of the 10 Garhwal Unit by the top army brass has only added to this feeling, which is touching the borders of demoralisation. This is not a good omen for a police force which is grappling with a peculiar situation due to proxy war unleashed by the rogue nation and whimsical diktats of the political bosses. They are looking for a shade, which is nowhere to be seen.