Escape of convicts and under trials from police custody is a very disturbing aspect
and an impediment on the path to build a safe society. It is no more true to
just hate the crime only because of changing society values . This is so because some criminals
because of basic mental tendencies keep on repeating the crimes rather than
shun them in fact some of them are quite boastful of their such activities.
There has been a series of escapes of known criminal under
trials from the police custody while being brought to or while being taken back
to jail. In fact it is sort of very upsetting vicious cycle in which one set of
policemen get suspended for allowing the escape because various reasons such as being lackadaisical in their
approach to the duty or being active partners in escape for money or after
being threatened of elimination to policemen or their family members by the free gang members of the jailed persons.
Firstly we need to
introspect the existing system- There is no tagging or segregation while being
moved out from jail for court appearance as under
trials on basis of the Heinousness of their crimes or heir track record of
notoriety, Secondly the police men on such duty are either persons who are not
wanted by the corrupt system otherwise they would have been part of the lucrative thana system by being a SHO,Asst SHO ,ASI at thana or a Munshi
as a head constable or the bottom end of the professional scale, thirdly very
badly maintained vehicles for bringing the under trials to the various courts
they mostly break down enroute. Incidentally judicial system is very slow in adopting
technology. Where is the need to bring the under trials all the way from
Bathinda to Panchkula and back Why the trial cannot be held r through video conferencing.
Let there be video conferencing in courts and jails and it is not a very
costly affair now a days. This is method needs to be adopted in case of prize
catches ,heinous criminals and hardened twice convicted and later escaped
under trials needs no over emphasis till we can have it for all under trials. A
paradox exits in this very situation
while these hardened criminals are on
the run and are caught – this has a positive fall out for the policemen who capture them as they are given out of turn promotions and increments but negatively these very criminals when they escape
then get these very policemen suspended
or kill them while escaping.
Another funny feature
is the Indian hand cuffing style in front and the types of handcuffs used. We
seem to adopt everything from the west but do not adopt their non nonsense
approach to suspects and criminals. Why do not we handcuff by taking the persons
both hands behind his back as we see in almost all Hollywood movies and actual TV
footage of criminals being caught and
handcuffed. Had we been adopting this
method one is sure that this criminal escape as well as snatching and killing of the Head constable was avoidable
as back handcuffing would have made it
impossible for the under trials to snatch the rifle and open fire.
Now coming to the point of having food and buying the
rations from the local market while in transit should be a strict no. Any policeman showing laxity should be
suspended. Another very common feature is of the accompanying policemen being
hosted by criminals on their way in and out of jail. The policemen and under
trials need to carry packed food and have uninterrupted journey to and fro from the jail to court and
back. There are many incidents where the under trials eat with the police men and
most of the times the under trials benefit either by lacing the food with sedatives
or throwing chili powder as a getaway weapon. Very strict action needs to be
taken otherwise we see policemen guarding the prisoners turning a blind eye while the
relatives friends and mingle freely with the under trials thereby passing all
sots f drugs and other banned material to these under trials under the garb of
giving them eatables . It has been an acknowledged fact that the jail
authorities connive with the inmates to get them drugs etc by charging hefty
bribes and in a similar manner paroles are also arranged. Time has come to now
segregate the very dangerous under trials from others and find methods to see
they are convicted by a speedy trial using all methods of available technology like
video conferencing.
