Where is the integrity of our law enforcers?
A report published on September 23, titled "Dead man talking", has sent shivers down our spine, not because of its title but because it exposes the deep-seated corruption that is crippling our law enforcement institutions and ultimately affecting our justice system. The report reveals how a PBI inspector cited the "statement" of a dead Union Parishad chairman, as a witness in documents presented before a district court, to implicate a former chairman of another Union Parishad in a murder case. In the case documents, the inspector also cited a statement of a retired government official given on a date when the "witness" was not in the country.
According to the accused Union Parishad chairman, the PBI inspector had demanded BDT 20 lakh as bribe from him, and upon his refusal to pay the amount, he along with his son and nephew were implicated in the case by the corrupt police officer. This incident brings to light the alleged deceptiveness of some members of the law enforcement agencies and the threats it poses to our judicial process and justice system. For how can justice be meted out to the actual perpetrators of crime in the absence of accurate, transparent and unbiased investigation reports?
These recurrent reports present a grim picture of our police force, where some unscrupulous officials have made it a practice to take undue advantage of the powers vested upon them by the state to ensure law and order for their own personal gains. In most cases, the authorities at best suspend the errant police officers and form probe bodies to investigate the matter. And often we do not even come to know what measures have been taken against these abetters of crime in uniform.
It is high time the authorities took up the matter of dishonest practices of the law enforcers seriously and brought them to book. The government should also scrutinise the factors that trigger dishonesty among police officers and address them in order to create an environment that encourages integrity and transparency. The authorities should make sure that the police do their duty towards the state and the people by maintaining law and order properly.
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