Chandigarh
The opposition parties have been crying themselves hoarse about collapsed law and order in the state. The police are to be blamed the most for this impression, as they have been on the back foot for the better part of the three years of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government.

The police drew a lot of flak for the handling of the three critical situations the government faced in as many years. The police first faltered in handling the Rampal episode as his ashram, Satlok, was “fortified” by his supporters. The second year saw the Jat agitation turn violent as protesters went on rampage and the police were not to be seen. As many as 40 persons lost their lives in the violence following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in two rape cases. Here again, the police were found wanting.

However, while the police may have got the rapping for their failure during these three incidents, which stand out as sore thumbs, they can’t be squarely blamed for these since the political bosses were also found wanting.

Though the police have little to showcase as their achievements, the project of women police stations launched during the present government is plagued with compounding problems. While the availability of staff is a constraint, most of these police stations have been somehow functioning.

There has been some recruitment in the department, which is facing a shortage by over 12,000 personnel, during the three-year rule of the BJP government though the physical tests for the recruitment of constables courted a controversy due to ill-planned schedules and a few deaths. However, though some constables, including women, have been recruited, the department is way short of meeting its requirement.

Moreover, there have been four DGPs during the Khattar rule. SN Vashishth continued as DGP when the BJP formed the government but was moved out soon after the Rampal episode. His successor was transferred after the Jat quota agitation violence. KP Singh became the next DGP, followed by incumbent BS Sandhu. Frequent changes and lack of continuity at the top level also affected the working of the department.

The police see as a major achievement the government approval to “Haryana 100”, a common state-level emergency number, to be made functional next year. The government plans to launch ‘Haryana 100’, a centralised police emergency management system, on Independence Day next year. It is meant to ensure quick arrest of offenders who flee after committing crime and also provide immediate police assistance to victims.