Relax, says the home ministry!

The police department completely lost whatever trust or respect people had for it during the July uprising. Of about the 1400 deaths, as estimated by the UN, during those few weeks, most were caused by police gunfire. The protectors of the people had turned into predators. The police had become the 'face' of the enemy, so to speak, during those violent weeks of July and August last year when the quota protests were at their height.

Consequently, in the immediate aftermath of the changeover on the August 5, the police were nowhere to be seen. They had completely abandoned their posts. Hundreds of police stations were vandalised and some were razed to the ground. There were disturbing reports of mobs attacking police outposts and lynching all the policemen in there.

The situation was such that even the traffic police did not show up for several days and the student volunteers worked in their stead. The law-and-order situation has shown a steady decline since August since the police have yet to recover from the debacle and resume their duties. The home adviser has remarked several times that the police are still not ready to resume their post and begin enforcing the law. The army continues to aid in law enforcement with magistracy powers.

It was, and remains, obvious that the police need substantial reforms to rid the institution of the ills and ensure that the political establishment is not able to manipulate or control the law enforcers to further their interest or turn them into a killing machine as the Awami League regime had done.

The Police Reform Commission had accordingly recommended an independent commission to administer the police. As reported in this newspaper, even the police had made similar recommendations in line with the Sri Lankan model, which they cited was a reason that the police did not turn into a tool of the former president Rajapakse in the public uprising.

However, despite all the calls for reform, which includes recommendations from the UN, the home ministry refuses to relinquish control over the police. In an official note the home ministry had a gall to say that centuries old laws did not need to be amended and that there was no need for an independent police commission.

It is difficult to gauge the rationale for making such claims. One would have thought that the bureaucrats at the home ministry have proven beyond doubt that they are incapable of running a professional police force with transparency or accountability. One should also keep in mind that this comes from the same bureaucracy that has gained substantially from the previous regime's misrule and has only voiced concern when its own interests are threatened.

There should not be a flicker of hesitation in rejecting the home ministry's recommendations, which further confirm that the bureaucracy is still trying to shield the status quo and will be a major stumbling block towards reforms that we so desperately need.