Protection of Common Citizen during Bandhs and Violent protests; Some Insights
Of all the gifts that a King can give, it is not the gift of gold, nor the gift of land, nor the gift of cows which is important, but the gift of Security”- Panchatantra
In last few months, there has been a spurt of violent activities in the country and Maharashtra in particular. The worst sufferers are common men, women, children who are accidentally caught into the spiral of violence. Citizens who have suffered most are women, senior citizens, school children, and citizens going out to earn their daily livelihood, travelling public. Public property worth hundreds of crores have been burnt or damaged by the agitators.
The agitators have burnt buses, private vehicles, damaged private property . This causes miseries all law abiding citizens & slows down the local economy.
The violence took place in Maharashtra during Bhima Koregaon incidence, Aurangabad riots, during Milk agitation, by various farmer groups demanding an increase in prices and now the Maratha reservation. Then there was Patidar agitation, Patel agitation & many more.
It is not intended to go into the reasons or righteousness of agitations.
This violence can be termed as “Agitational” terrorism. Mob leadership leads not to jail but political prominence and ascendance. Violence becomes a form of political clout, not of crime. This naturally encourages further criminal violence.
Unfortunately, the street violence is only going to increase in the run-up to the 2019 elections. The government, therefore, has to gear up security forces, intelligence agencies to forecast where this violence will take place next and stop it before it leads to unnecessary incidents.
Media, Vote Bank Politics Inciting Violence
Who is responsible for all this violence? Is it not the responsibility of all the political parties, the social, print and the electronic media to respond to such agitations in a responsible manner and not compete with each other for vote bank politics inciting further violence?. All political parties and all forms of media are responsible for aiding and abetting this violence. Most media houses give ball by ball commentary of violent activities of protestors, thereby only increasing the violence.
Tackling Agitational Terrorism
Is not it the duty of government to protect its common citizens? Should the agitating NGOs/organizations not be forced to make up the damage which their volunteers have caused to the public property? All economic activity comes to a halt, causing losses of crores of rupees to livelihoods and production. The most important issue is how do you tackle this kind of Agitational terrorism and protect common citizens. Some methods are given below:-
• The most important aspect is the political willpower to tackle violent mobs. Because of vote bank politics, no political party wants to tell the truth and they keep on supporting unreasonable demands of organizations carrying out Agitational terrorism.
• While it is a right of everybody to agitate for his demands, but the Lakshman Rekha is crossed when agitators start burning public/private properties. Then they must be stopped and law and order restored.
• The mob has numbers, numbers matter in violent situations. On many occasions, police get outnumbered.Therefore the need of the hour is to increase the strength of police strength on the spot of violence.
• The police strength can be increased immediately by enlisting retired policemen who have performed their duties in exemplary fashion while in service. It is estimated that more than three lakh retired policeman is residing in Maharashtra. Why can't we enrol about 50 to 60000 competent, still fit policemen for adding to the police strength during the time of crisis?
• The police strength can be further increased by enrolling home guards during the time of crisis. Office/static duties performed by the policemen should be given to them and trained policeman should be utilised for tackling violent mobs.
• If adequate suitable retired police are no available then use must be made of suitable retired army personnel.
• A large number of policemen have gained practical experience of tackling violent mobs. Full use must be made of their rich experience.
• Most important is gaining intelligence about such violent activities and organizations. If you are forewarned then you are forearmed and are in a position to stop the violence. Presently the strength of Police Intelligence seems to be inadequate.
• Intelligence operators’ strength increased manifold by enrolling retired policemen who have performed the duties of Intelligence collection while in service.
• In Jammu and Kashmir, there is an intelligent organisation called as the multi-intelligence centre. All intelligence agencies such as Intelligence Bureau R&AW, Army intelligence Navy, Coast Guard intelligence, revenue customs exercise Income Tax Intelligence meet regularly to forecast what can go wrong. The National Technical Research Organisation is well equipped to collect technical intelligence (monitoring mobile communications etc.).
• Let us activate the multi-agency centre in Maharashtra. The meeting should be shared by the Chief Minister/ the home minister / DGP police and must meet at least once in 15 days to share Intelligence and help security forces for carrying out correct deployment and be ready to meet the violent mobs.
• It is also important to prosecute all agitators who have damaged government and public property. Again the police strength always falls short because the number of Investigation teams that are available to investigate such crime is always short. It is recommended that suitably qualified investigating officers from the retired police community must be enrolled to strengthen the existing investigating setup thus increasing the efficiency of the investigating organisation.
• Technical intelligence is very important to keep a watch over violent organisations. It is easy to monitor communication by violent mobs with their leaders, to stop the violence.
• Use of Paramilitary forces (PMF) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
There are a large number of training establishments of these forces in Maharashtra.During the times of crisis, they must be mobilized to help the state police. Many a time the CAPF and the PMF are more effective than the local police because they are neutral and do not get worried while tackling mobs which have a political affiliation. One Paramilitary company may be more efficient than a much larger police who are local.
• Use of Indian Army: Legally Indian Army can also be used for tackling law and order situation. The army carries out its task in a professional manner with minimum force. During the Jat agitation when the Haryana police had more or less broken down it was few columns of the Indian army which restored peace in a short while. Similarly, even in the state of Rajasthan during the Gujjar agitation, it was the Indian Army which brought a situation under control. Similarly, during agitations in Jammu, the Indian Army was the one which brought the situation under control. Maharashtra has many Army cantonments located in Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Ahmadnagar, Bhusawal, and Nasik etc. A number of naval & Coast Guard units are deployed on the coast. Indian Army & other armed forces must be used to restore a law and order especially when the violence goes beyond one day.
• A lot of new nonlethal riot control equipment is available. The police must be equipped with this kind of riot control equipment & riot gears.This will increase the efficiency of the police to deal with violent mobs.
• Quick judicial trials of violent mobs caught by the police punished in the Fast Track courts will instil the fear of law among the rioters.
• Code of conduct is required to be evolved especially for TV & social media. Media must stop unnecessary publicity to the violent mobs. Anybody fuelling violence on the social media must be punished.All social media platforms should be monitored and action taken against those spreading hate. We must utilise modern technology to stop spreading of wrong, fake news on the social media.
• Most of the times it is well known as to who is financing a particular violent organisation. Stone pelting is a big business in Kashmir Valley. Similarly, it is becoming a business in rest of India also. All individuals, financing such activities must be kept a watch on. They must be dealt with the way National Investigation Agency is tackling the finances of the huriyat conference. Some leaders have a lot of benami property; they run NGOs with International help, indulge in unlawful activities. All the economic offences wings of Government of India must target them. This will reduce their capacity to fuel violence.
• Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry has started a toll free number by which common citizens inform the security agencies of any unlawful activities towards an activity which is taking place around them. It is the task of security agencies to analyse such information & take counter measures. Such number must be activated in Maharashtra.
• Modern technology, CCTV cameras and smart phones provide hundreds of images of mob violence and its perpetrators. With face recognition technology improving rapidly, the ability to identify vandals precisely has also improved hugely. These techniques must be used to track down and jail the culprits.
• The police should shift to high-tech forensic evidence that is quickly obtained, and cannot disappear or turn hostile. All police forces must be trained in high-tech forensic methods to catch criminals. The most powerful weapon of policemen & citizens is a mobile in his hand which can be utilized to film the rioters.
• The need of the hour is to use innovative ideas to tackle unconventional challenges that are being faced by the society. Security resources are always going to fall short. Therefore, help must be taken from patriotic citizens who can become the eyes and ears of the security agencies so that they inform about any wrong activity which takes place around them.
• Today, violent agitations pay handsome dividends politically. Instead, they should be made expensive in terms of fines and jail sentences.
• Camera footage from different sources will provide far quicker and surer evidence than trying to draw up a long list of witnesses. Camera evidence will prove useful especially when multiple cameras show the same criminal. This can lead to quick trials and convictions. More important, it will encourage peaceful agitations and politicians, and discourage violent ones
This small article is a start point to refine the art of controlling violent mobs more effectively by regular brain storming of all stake holders. Let us outthink the violent mobs & keep common citizens safe
