Staff Reporter
Guwahati: A majority of Assam Police personnel opine that preventive arrests help in reducing the crime rate, even as a section of them think that harsh custodial interrogation is justified.
This emerged in a report titled 'Status of Policing in India 2025', compiled by an organisation after interacting with various police officials across the country. Teams from the organisation interacted with a section of police personnel in Dispur, Jorhat, Tezpur, Baksa and Udalguri police stations.
The report states that 63% of Assam Police personnel feel that preventive arrests of antisocial elements are very useful for reducing the crime rate in the state. An example in this direction is the recent arrest of 97 anti-national elements who posted against India and Hinduism on social media.
Regarding harsh interrogation in custody, 46% of the police personnel tried to justify harsh investigation procedures against criminals. They feel that being violent is necessary towards the ends of justice and that confessions are vital for convictions. On the other hand, around 49% of police personnel admitted that they stuck to due process of law during arrests, while around 17% said the process was overlooked at times.
Another question was related to dangerous criminals being killed during encounters, where 27% of police supported 'instant justice', but 65% opined that punishment should be meted out through due procedures. 46% of those questioned felt that such encounters should not be widely publicised, while 14% felt publicity should be given to such encounters, as it boosts police morale and instils fear in criminals. 49% strongly felt that judicial enquiry into every custodial death is necessary, while 42% somewhat agreed with the view and 7% disagreed.
One question in the report was related to the view that Muslims are naturally prone towards committing crimes to a great extent, where 26% agreed with the view and 25% said migrant labourers are involved in crimes.
28% of those questioned during the compilation of the report feel that the criminal justice system is too weak and slow to address crime, whereas 67% felt that the prevailing criminal justice system has problems but it still addresses crime.
The report seeks to unpack police high-handedness, torture and custodial violence through alternative methods such as surveys with police personnel, analysis of trends and patterns, and in-depth interviews with accountability actors like judges, lawyers and doctors.
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