Jharkhand: Police

Sister Valsa John's life could have been saved had the police reached in time. The 52-year-old nun, who had been working among the Santhal tribe in Jharkand, was brutally murdered in Panchubera village in Pakur district of Jharkhand, 400 km away from Ranchi on November 15 night. Although sister Valsa had informed the police of the Naxalite attack on her house, the police took no immediate action saying that they were not allowed to move at night.

This is not a one-off case in Jharkhand where in remote parts of the state, police stations remain locked at night. If someone gets to the police station and asks for help, the police send the person back and asks them to come in the morning. When asked why, the police retort that their orders are not to move during the night.

In the last 10 years, the Naxalites have killed more than 300 policemen in attacks on police stations. The fear of the Maoists is so widespread among the workforce that even high ranking police officers avoid going to remote areas after sunset. A number of police stations in remote areas have been fenced with barbed wires to keep the intruders away.

“For security reasons, the gates of police stations are always kept locked at night. But if a person comes during the night, the police registers an FIR and the force reaches the spot after proper investigation. Since the Naxalites often try to lure the police into their traps through such tactics, the police have to be extra careful before taking any action at night,” says director general Jharkhand police Gaurishankar Rath. He adds, “The police forces do move at night but after preparing a foolproof strategy as carelessness has cost us several lives in the past.”

Brave posturing apart, the fact remains that the police force seldom moves out of their barbed posts at night, no matter what happens. The general secretary of Jharkhand police association, Akhilesh Singh says, “What do you expect us to do? Let our jawans get killed at the hands of Naxalites? They are armed with sophisticated weapons while we still have old-style rifles.” That may be alright, but what about the security of the common man?