Lawless Delhi

So we saw two instances of violence in Delhi the last two days. One resulting in murder and the other related to a police officer actually breaking the law instead of enforcing it.

In the first case a young brash teenager was accidentally knocked down by a DTC bus. The resulting road rage was of such extreme proportions and further heightened by instigation by the kid's own mother, that he violently attacked the driver in the most gruesome manner, resulting in his death. The man was in his 40s, head of his family and the bread earner.

Obviously, the kid flew into a rage virtually losing his mental balance. His intent therefore was not just to hit but to kill. His actions partly were translated from a thought process that he could teach the victim a lesson, and get away with it, in a Country which is virtually lawless.

While he has been arrested, we all know how long it will take our criminal justice system to punish the murderer.

In the second instance, a lady scooterist is attacked by a traffic police officer with a brick, because the victim refused to give in to his demand for a bribe for letting her go scot free for a traffic offence.

Not exactly a case of road rage, the second case. But certainly a manifestation of huge, growing problem within the police force.

The police force in Delhi is hugely overworked. Daily duty timings exceed 12 hours. Leave from work instead of being a right, is an unheard of luxury.
Analysis throws up and astounding fact - that if a norm of 8 hours work daily and availing leave as per entitlement was made possible, the strength of the police force would have to be augmented by a staggering 140% !

Long hours of work, under most challenging working conditions, no rest or absence from work for rest or recreation, and to top it all, the worst compensation amongst any Government job is bound to adversely affect the psyche of a policeman in the long run.

It's high time the political leadership of this Country owned moral responsibility for this malaise, and committed themselves to change the situation as manifested in the above tow cases.

Judicial reforms, a stronger, more effective law enforcement system, and finally police reforms are the immediate need. If we start work now the implementation will probably take a decade.

Or we have the choice of being a lawless Country where anyone can kill anyone else, and we become part of a jungle