Reporter’s Diary: When cops turn peace brokers

The key word, however, is ‘supposed to’. As is clear from recent incidents, the police often turn peace brokers which means there is no formal record of the matter.

In one such case, a police complaint was lodged after an angry mob vandalised a private club in Nungambakkam. But they got off by paying compensation for the damages after the cops intervened.

A 29-year-old man who had gone to the club on Kodambakkam High Road on Sunday was allegedly attacked by a three-member gang in a drunken brawl around 11 pm. The man called his friends who came to the club to take revenge, but the trio had fled before they reached. The club management informed the police control room and tried to close the club. Irked by this, the gang broke the glass doors and damaged valuables despite knowing well that the miscreants had already fled. 

After the seven persons involved in the attack were secured, the club management held talks with them, and got a promise to compensate for the damages. 

In a similar incident at a private resort on OMR, a laptop belonging to the management was broken in a drunken brawl between two groups of youngsters. Instead of filing a case, the police brokered a deal after which the youth paid compensation and were let off with a warning.

Commenting on this, a police officer noted that there was nothing wrong with the approach as long as both parties were satisfied with the outcome. But does such out-of-court settlements serve the law, or are they more a matter of convenience?