Daily Times

Punjab Police is back in the limelight and in a surprisingly predictable manner, for all the wrong reasons. It is not every day that the protectors of the law are forced to look for a saviour themselves. Perhaps, the delicacy of the situation, which feeds into a self-perpetuating cycle against the law enforcement authorities, has prompted police authorities to proceed with great caution. Days after a group of transgenders vandalised a police station in Kharian and dragged officials by their collars, in an alleged response to heavy-handedness against another member, the social media storm refuses to die down.

Following a neverending spree of brutal headlines, police have become notorious for human rights violations and a general disregard for the writ of the law, which appears to have resulted in an “us versus them” mentality.

A widespread sense of impunity some officers enjoy while unleashing repressive measures on the citizenry means that the masses automatically side with whoever dares to pull a punch. No good can come out of the ongoing street battles if the state does not rattle out of its complacency and unroll some emergency measures to heal the fracture lines.

The foremost of such a programme should feature a very public show of accountability in the law enforcement agencies. Since the colonial masters left us three-quarters of a century ago, it is extremely necessary to bid farewell to this “control” model that allows those responsible for combatting crime to twist their job description and begin a war against the common man. The authorities need to ensure that the rights and dignity of all individuals are protected and respected at all costs.

A politicised institution entrusted with a special unsaid immunity can neither do anything to sway public opinion nor help establish our uniformed agencies as a crucial ally. Until then, the public relations department would be better off keeping a stack of clarifications at hand. *