Arrest of Tajinder Bagga: Wake up call, say experts over police vs police

According to Singh, while the actions of the Punjab police were questionable, the Delhi police too did not counter them on the laid down procedures in case of such arrests, writes Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi:On a day the nation witnessed police of two states coming face to face with each other over the arrest of a person in Delhi, the experts termed it a wake-up call and described the incident as a question mark on the law and order machinery in the country. “It is a question mark on the law and order machinery in the country. It is a wake-up call for the country which does not deserve a police force like this,” former UP DGP Vikram Singh told ETV Bharat.

“It is not constitutional anarchy. Such incidents have happened in the past and were resolved mutually or with the intervention of the senior officers. But today’s incident was unseemly and uncalled for and unprofessional. I condemn the conduct of the Punjab police,” Singh said. According to Singh, while the actions of the Punjab police were questionable, the Delhi police too did not counter them on the laid down procedures in case of such arrests.

“In a case where the punishment is less than 7 years, there was no need for such action. They could have arrested him in Patiala. The Punjab police should have followed the procedures but the Delhi police too should have questioned them,” he said. The former DGP further said that the Punjab police should have informed the Delhi police of the arrest and the latter should have registered a daily diary report based on that and provided assistance to the former. Also, Singh said, no transit remand from a magistrate to take the arrested person to Punjab was obtained, violating the rules.

Lawyer Ashwini Dubey too echoes similar sentiments and termed the developments as “constitutional anarchy and a threat to the democratic system”. Agreeing that such action by the police of a state takes place at the behest of their political masters, Dubey said such a trend is dangerous for the country. “Tomorrow anyone can face such harassment and may not be in a position to get legal help,” Dubey told ETV Bharat, adding, “There will be political rivals but the systems should function as per law.”

Singh pointed out that the politicians will never let go of the police force as it suits their ends as their politics is run through the force. However, he argued that the police administration in the country had a large number of good officers, who contribute to the trust that the common man has in the force. “The police in India is a very good fighting force. But today’s incident certainly calls for reforms at the earliest,” said Singh.

Read: Political slugfest over arrest of Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Bagga