288 Public complaints against Assam Police in 2018

State Police Accountability Commission’s LATEST REPORT

* SPAC recommends regular submission of quarterly reports from government, Home department & DGP on the departmental proceedings directed to be initiated

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Altogether 288 public complaints on various counts were received against police personnel from across the State in 2018. Of these, the maximum number of 143 is over alleged police inaction or negligence. This information is according to the latest annual report-2018 of the State Police Accountability Commission (SPAC) submitted to the Government of Assam recently.

Of the remaining 145 fresh complaints against police personnel in 2018, a total of 59 are over alleged harassments, atrocities, misbehaviour, and threatening; 31 over non-registration of First information reports (FIRs); 11 each for arrest or detention without due process of law, misuse of power, and miscellaneous matters; nine each for blackmailing and demanding money, as well as delay in investigation. Besides, there are two complaints for forceful deprivation from rightful ownership or possession of property; one each over alleged death in police custody and perfunctory investigation.

The Commission’s report also states that while there were 143 cases with the Commission at the beginning of 2018, another 425 complaints were received by the Commission during that very year. These 425 cases include 137 numbers of complaints filed in the previous years but not registered during the relevant years and 288 fresh complaints registered that year. Therefore, the total number of cases registered with the Commission at the end of 2018 was 568. On the other hand, 423 cases were disposed off leaving 325 cases pending.

The Chairperson of this Commission is BP Katakey.

The Assam Government had established the SPAC with a Chairman and three members in 2007 to make the Assam Police more accountable, professionally organized and service oriented to serve the people’s interest.

However, the SPAC’s latest report states that the Commission has not been apprised of any decision taken by the Government on its recommendations for enhancing the police accountability. This is despite the fact that the Commission, since its inception in 2007, has been submitting its annual recommendations to the Government of Assam.

The Commission states that the report has been prepared with a view to achieve the objectives of the Assam Police Act-2007 and also to implement the Prime Minister’s vision to have ‘SMART’ Police Force. The term ‘SMART’ is an acronym of S: Strict, Sensitive; M: Modern, Mobile; A: Alert, Accountable; R: Reliable, Responsive; T: Techno-savvy and Trained. Among the recommendations made in the latest 2018 report of the Commission are the following steps: Constitution of District Accountability Authority; installation of complaint box; installation of CCTV; training and motivation sessions for police personnel; strengthening of the Commission Secretariat; arrest in violation of Supreme Court Judgments and amendment of CrPC etc.; disposal of departmental proceedings as directed by the Commission; and regular submission of quarterly reports to the Commission by the Government of Assam, State Home Department and the Director General of Police (DGP), Assam on the status of the departmental proceedings directed to be initiated.

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