What appalled me in today’s news was that an Ex-cricketer’s wife had a verbal altercation with  an Assistant Sub- Inspector in the Chinnaswamy Stadium at Bangalore and it has been reported that a Deputy Commissioner of Police who intervened was addressed by the lady in the second person singular  probably in Hindi (‘you’ in English may not be offensive but when a person uses “NEE”  in the only surviving classical inter-national language of India or ‘TU” in the Official language of the Indian Union, it is demeaning).

The issue that gets my goat up is, whether the police personnel, who are to do their policing duties ought to maintain order and peace even in semi-public enclosures as a sporting arena or a cinema house or a party  conducted in the farm house?

I suppose NOT.

Every police officer (includes even  a constable) is firstly a government servant and has certain duties to perform and responsibilities, for which he could be charged for dereliction if not performed as per guidelines. I find it a joke when a constable is given duties inside a stadium, when the duty owed by the organizers to the public and the state would be that they provide enough security for peace and order within the stadium.

A police man is not a chowkidar, who is to perform duties which are assigned by his superiors when the place where he has to perform is a semi-private enclosure. Such duties smack of FEUDALISM.

If the organizers do not have the wherewithal to engage the services of security personnel, why should they collect so much money from the public.

I have been to the concert of METALLICA in Bangalore at the Palace grounds and i should say that there were hardly any policemen visible and they must have managed a crowd of not less than 50, 000 without any hitch. If at all there was any police personnel, they were there only to have the authority to overrule certain arrangements and to take measures to avoid untoward incidents. They were not there doing SECURITY PERSONNEL’S JOB. Surely, the policemen are not empowered through Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Penal Code merely to do the work of a chowkidar.

Look at this specific instance, this lady Jayanthi wife of Venkatesh Prasad stands on a passage meant for the players and the ASI, in his opinion, feels that she was blocking the path and told her to move out of the way. Is an ASI doing his policeman’s job or is it the job of a bouncer/ security staff?

I have great respect for all types of job, no work is demeaning, but when a person empowered starts performing a PUBLIC DUTY INSIDE A PRIVATE PREMISES, IT WOULD BE DEMEANING. He is not meant to do that- period.

But, why do these things happen? Simple, everyone wants free tickets for the IPL. IPL matches have become the latest gladiatorial games of the amphitheater for the public to be seen and talk about. I am sure that NOT every entrant, excepting those who are members of the club, pays for his ticket.30% of the tickets might be compliments from the organizers

If turnstiles are installed at entry points and tickets with bar-codes were to be sold, only for a consideration, the free service rendered by the police force at the behest of their bosses would not be happening. In turn the lowly constables, ASIs would not have to be looked down upon by the patrons.

Another point is that the police, when diverted for such duties, slacken and become more amenable to pleasing their immediate bosses instead of performing their duties. Further, the force needed for other emergencies also suffer.

IT IS TIME WE MADE OUR POLICE FORCE A FORCE AND NOT THE HANDMAIDEN OF A FEW BUCCANEERS, WHO PURVEY SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT JUST TO ENRICH THEMSELVES.