Pradeep Ramteke
Editor-in-Chief
Especially in the context of illegal businesses, there are complaints and allegations of some police officers accepting bribes in some places, where money is taken to avoid taking action.
But this is not the complete picture of the entire police force; many police officers work honestly and take legal action against corruption, as revealed by news agencies and news reports.
However, there are allegations that police officers involved with illegal businesses help them continue by accepting bribes or do not take action against them, and this sequence of events is also true. In some places, incidents like ’60-40 partnership’ have also come to light.
Many times, citizens have directly protested in front of police stations or accused the police of taking bribes on social media. There are also reports that some MLAs criticize the police for not taking action due to accepting bribes.
If this is happening in your area, common citizens have been told that they can directly complain to senior police officers (e.g., Police Commissioner, Superintendent of Police). Similarly, citizens have been informed that they can complain to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
However, even if common citizens file complaints with senior police officers and the ACB regarding illegal businesses, they are not taking appropriate and necessary action, due to which common citizens are now losing faith in the police department.
If the police themselves are emerging as protectors of illegal business operators, then what about the safety of the citizens? This issue raises many questions. It is an unfortunate reality that some police officers accept bribes, which raises questions about the system.
Illegal businesses are trades prohibited by law, against which the police take action, but often complaints and news reports emerge that some police officers themselves are involved in this.
However, this is a major problem, and the police, with the help of the public and through internal investigations… The fact that the police system is not trying to gain control over this is a complete failure of the police.
What are illegal businesses? They are trades prohibited by law, such as the sale of narcotics, illegal domestic and foreign liquor, illicit liquor, gambling, matka (a form of gambling), human trafficking, sale of counterfeit goods, etc.
Sometimes, incidents occur where the police are involved in collecting bribes, providing information, or are directly participating in these businesses, which hinders enforcement.
The role of the police…
is to maintain law and order. The motto of the Maharashtra Police is “Sadrakshanaya Khalanigrahanaya” (Protection of the good and destruction of the wicked).
Taking action…
Their job is to raid illegal businesses, arrest those involved, and seize the goods.
The Police Commissioner and District Superintendent of Police should also take steps to prepare a list of police officers involved in illegal businesses and take action against them.
The job of the police is to uphold the law, but sometimes misconduct occurs among them as well, on which the police department takes internal action.
The police department often appeals to citizens to contact the station house officer or senior officers of the police station in the area if there is any kind of collusion between illegal businesses and the police.
However, in recent times, this appeal has proven ineffective. Even when citizens provide information about illegal businesses to the concerned station house officers and police, the illegal businesses are ignored, and the area is made unsafe. When police officers forget their own responsibilities, the issue of the safety of ordinary citizens under the umbrella of illegal businesses becomes even more serious.
Along with this, there are instances where individuals who complain about illegal businesses or provide information to the police are harassed by both the police and the illegal business operators.
Because of this, ordinary citizens ignore illegal businesses, and this must be considered a failure of the police department.
