Punjab Police is a department structured with a hierarchy in which authority is concentrated at the top and accountability at the bottom.
This power structure goes against the principles of justice and is colonial in its essence.
The top brass of the police department reportedly enjoys thorough hegemony from the department’s resources as well as the power vested in certain top-level officers. The structural legacy has continued post-colonisation.
In police working, the authority is concentrated at the top from allocation, drawing and disbursement of funds, resources and privileges to exercising of powers.
The subordinates were deprived when it came to privileges and they had to look towards the officers for allocation of funds and other resources. Moreover, the subordinates were supposed to follow the orders come what may. For subordinates, any decision or action deemed by the top brass as ‘disobedience’ had been overridden in Punjab Police. It was tantamount to committing a serious offence. This was the maxim in the colonial times and, unfortunately, remains the maxim now.
The 2014 Model Town fiasco is a prime example of police failures and brutality in recent times. A large number of women and minors were detained for hours by the subordinates on the orders of the commanders of the time.
The use of force against the unarmed people that led to the death of at least 14 people was also carried out on seniors’ orders. However, the non-PSP officials were jailed. The officers of that time not only resumed their offices but also enjoyed higher postings.
In the 2019 Sahiwal tragedy, innocent persons were shot dead on the orders of senior police officers. None of the officers were jailed. Rather, Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department chief Rai Tahir, who kept on defending the move, by declaring the innocents as terrorists or criminals, resumed his position after a couple of weeks.
CCPO Umer Shoib Sheikh’s recent proposal of court martialing police officials to ensure discipline and seeking details of their assets for accountability has sent ripples throughout the rank and file of the department.
However, the approach and move is colonial in essence, another rapid means of vindicating those at the top while holding accountable those at the bottom.
Sheikh has sought court martialing and assets details of only the non-PSP cadre of Punjab Police; those up to the rank of DSP from constable.
His assumption that only non-PSPs abused authority or are financially corrupt is incorrect. Similarly, his proposal of holding only non-PSP officials accountable through court martialing is also flawed as it would not ensure accountability across the board, which is the essence of justice.
He must know well that the system is rotten from top to bottom.
However, he may be afraid to propose accountability of officers fearing a backlash from his cadre.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2020.
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