Of crime and criminals: Who will police the police!

The tracking of a ‘rumour monger’ in Akhnoor area by the ‘vigilant’ police within a couple of hours of his indulging in unlawful act is like a fresh breather and reinforces the fact that nobody can break the law if the law enforcing agencies wish so. In lighter vein, the swift police action reminds of the famous Bollywood movie dialogue, “Agar Police Chowkani Ho Tu Mandir Se Koi Jhoota Churane Ki Bhi Jurat Nahi Kar Sakta”. Hindi movies have captured extensively rapacious nature of the police in which they protect corrupt, powerful and elite as also the petty criminals.

S P E C I A L         R E P O R T

However, but for very few honourable exceptions, most of the crimes are committed in connivance and in know of the police. This unfortunate truth got substantiated only today when a Mumbai special court convicted former IPS officer Saji Mohan for illegally possessing and smuggling drugs, sentencing him to 15 years in jail. He is not an exception. He symbolises the harsh truth about functioning of police and its gang-up with law breakers, which Justice Anand Narain Mullah had perhaps aptly described in 1950 as the “biggest organised gang of criminals”.
In a place (not state now) like Jammu and Kashmir, the last thing the police can afford is lower its guard or connive with criminals, as most of the crimes and criminals these days are connected to terrorism in one or the other way. The criminals are carrying out drug trafficking, which is directly funding terror. They can easily become conduits for terror masters in carrying out their nefarious designs of strengthening terrorism through Hawala channels or smuggling arms. The biggest challenge for Jammu and Kashmir Police, being deep rooted in even tiny habitations, is now cyber terrorism which is unleashed by social media groups by terror sympathisers, urban naxals commonly known as Tukde Tukde gang, religious bigots and indoctrinated intellectual terrorists. Nabbing of rumour mongerer is a case in point, especially as his misadventure cost the huge lot of population access to Internet.
The grit and determination shown by the police in foiling the misadventure of social- media enthusiasts holds key to tackling terror and anti-peace misadventure in Jammu and Kashmir. With a dedicated cyber cell wing, it is intriguing how the entire lot of intellectual terrorists have been maligning the security forces and belittling the image of the nation. True, they enjoy political support but that should not deter the police from going whole hog against them as it is the force which is paying huge price for such misadventure in terms of sacrifices of brave personnel.
Rumour mongering is a part of campaign to destabilize Jammu and Kashmir by strengthening terror regimes. This not new but dates back to middle of the three-decade old terrorism. According to a study conducted in the Valley, social networking sites like Facebook played an active role during 2010 unrest. Study revealed “that a majority of posts used ‘Azadi’ (freedom), stone pelting and voice in their wall posts. In September 2010 wall posts, people used ‘freedom’ 97 per cent of the time followed by “go India go back’ at 88 per cent. The mobilization routes such as “share the news about protests,’ ‘spread the news about Indian oppression,’ ‘links to photos,’ ‘links to local stories,’ ‘ links to videos’ appeared 94 per cent, 90 per cent, 87 per cent, 86 per cent and 84 per cent respectively, in the 36 wall posts and comments. For the information exchange route, features like ‘share updates about what’s going on in your areas’ was mentioned 75 per cent of the time and ‘curfew tomorrow’ was mentioned 68 per cent of the time in September posts. The entire Kashmir situation was being remote controlled through social network. The ‘anti-India’ administrators have set up sites like, Freedom of Dawn’, ‘Aalaw’ (call), ‘Hoshar Jamat’ (Awakened Group), ‘Balayi Khuda’ (God’s wrath) and ‘We love Syed Ali Shah Geelani’ pages.
The menace seems to be unending. Except for seeking ban on social networking sites from time to time, the police have seldom taken any worthwhile action against the cyber offenders for promoting anti-India sentiment in the Valley and across.
Had the police shown sensitivity to this flourishing terror module at the outset, the oxygen to anti-India elements would have witnessing declining graph since. Police will have to gear up for the menace on cyber space.