8 persons attend police commission meet, 400 submit suggestions by mail
The Commission, however, has received about 400 written representations through post and email, said a staff of the commission.
Public hearing of the Fifth Police Commission headed by retired High Court judge CT Selvam underway at Police Training College on Thursday.
CHENNAI: The public hearing for the Fifth Police Commission held on Thursday at the Police Training College witnessed a lackluster turnout with only eight persons turning up before the Commission, four of whom are members of the Tamil Nadu Police Department Ministerial Staff Association.
The Commission, however, has received about 400 written representations through post and email, said a staff of the commission.
Headed by Justice (Retd), CT Selvam, the panel members of the commission are Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, who is the member secretary of the commission, and DGP (retired), K Radhakrishnan, retired IAS officer K Alauddin, Psychiatrist, Dr C Ramasubramanian and Prof Nalini Rao as panel members.
The poor turnout, however, did not reflect on the quality of the recommendations from the public. G Balachandar of KK Nagar, a software engineer, appealed to the commission to recommend that police, at any cost, do not reveal the victims’ identity in sexual assault and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) cases. “There should come a situation where victims can come forward and give a complaint confidently in such cases,” Balachandran said referring to the Pollachi incident, where the victim’s identity was leaked.
Commending the techie’s public spirit, Commission chair Selvam noted, “We are glad that people like you are concerned about what is happening around and came to register your concern.” Two persons from Maduranthagam too registered their grievance about the reluctance from police to register cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act based on their complaints.
Retired Police Sub Inspector, N Veeramani travelled all the way from Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai district to present his 45-point charter to the commission on various issues concerning the rank and file of the police department and the general public.
From urging the commission to implement the recommendations of the first national police commission set up in 1977 to implementing High Court orders in setting up CCTV cameras in all police stations, the retired policeman touched upon various topics.
“I was inspired by police from their half pant days and I became the first policeman from my village. I even joined the department without my parents’ knowledge. But, because of the rigidity in the hierarchal system, I was never given permission to attend the deaths of my brother and both my parents. I am proud about being a policeman, but the reality is that I was not there for the birth of my four daughters because I could not avail leave,” the retired SI deposed before the Commission and sought for reforms that takes concern on the rank and file of the police department.
The Commission is expected to submit its report to the government after March 2024. The public can send their suggestions to fifthpolicecommission@gmail.com
