Ms Shloka Nath, Head, Policy & Advocacy, Tata Trusts
On the Role of Police
I would like to express my appreciation for the team at Common Cause, the Lokniti programme of Centre For The Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Lal Family Foundation, Tata Trusts as well as everyone who has been part of this event. The Covid-19 pandemic has proved to be a very challenging time for the country, especially for the most vulnerable and marginalised communities. The purpose of policing in our society is to promote public safety and uphold the rule of law to ensure that citizens can meet their potential. Trust and accountability between law enforcement and civil society is essential to advancing these goals.
India’s public health response to Covid-19 engages two distinct police functions --- the maintenance of public order and social service provision. In this context the lockdown posed great burdens on frontline police officers, especially due to the capacity as well as the budgetary constraints they face. Police agencies had to enforce strict social distancing rules which added pressure to their existing vulnerabilities. There were instances of use of disproportionate force towards the poor as well as low-income
The purpose of policing in our society is to promote public safety and uphold the rule of law to ensure that citizens can meet their potential.
segments during the lockdown which could have been avoided. The law enforcement and police forces have an integral role in protecting the public as well as achieving public safety. As the role of the police evolves beyond maintaining law and order, the question now is how should the police system, policy makers as well as civil society navigate the tensions between public safety and good policing, while building trust. This is where initiatives such as the Status of Policing in India Report have such an important role to play.
About the Report
There is a lot to improve in our systems but the report also shows that there are already steady efforts in improving the existing conditions. While the first volume, released in April
I don’t think the police try to find out whether you are an SC, ST or OBC before taking any
India’s public health response to Covid-19 engages two distinct police functions --- the maintenance of public order and social service provision.
2021, covered policing in regions affected by conflict, extremism or insurgency, the second volume of the report focuses on the Covid-19 situations. It is devoted specifically to interactions between the people and police during the lockdown, the way the crisis was handled and the challenges that emerged. The report analyses the data from survey of common people and police personnel from 10 states and union territories during the pandemic. It also looks at the media coverage on the nature of policing during the pandemic, and specially during the initial stages of the national lockdown. Tata Trusts is proud to have supported this initiative and therefore it gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the launch of the second volume of the Status of Policing in India Report (SPIR) 2020-2021, Policing in the Covid-19 Pandemic. I congratulate the teams behind the excellent effort as well as the architects. I hope the insights from the report will be helpful for both the policy makers as well as civil society.
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Excerpts from SPIR 20-21 (Volume II): Panel Discussion: Ms Nikita Sonavane, Lawyer and Activist >>
