In a sharp critique of police action on the recent student protests, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on Friday said that the detachment expected of police officers appears to be disappearing.
He said it was very distressing to see police officers assaulting protesters.
“The detachment expected of police officers somehow seems to be disappearing, and this is indeed a matter of grave concern,” Justice Bhuyan said.
“All of us are dismayed when we see young officers of the Indian Police Service personally going and assaulting protesters and demonstrators. “For most common people, a policeman on the street wearing a whistle and a lathi represents the power and authority of the state. When they feel wronged, they seek the help of the police. Police and paramilitary action on student protesters during the CJP protest has come under sharp criticism from various quarters.
It is, therefore, of utmost importance that the police force maintains its credibility,” he said. The matter reached the Supreme Court, which has set up a high-level panel to investigate allegations of excessive force by the Delhi Police during the July 20 student protests at Jantar Mantar and the Parliament march.
This is something very, very distressing to observe,” Justice Bhuyan said at the launch of retired IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad’s book ‘Policing the Republic’. “The detachment expected of police officers somehow seems to be disappearing, and this is indeed a matter of grave concern,” he added. Read | Supreme Court Cancels All FIRs Against CJP Protesters, Criminal Antecedents Only Exception Justice Bhuyan said that effective policing could be done without resorting to excessive use of force or infringement of human rights.
