An Activist Police

Amitabh Thakur {now only Amitabh} exudes courage and integrity-a mechanical engineer from IIT Kanpur, who left the chance to join Indian Revenue Service/IRS in 1991 for a challenging career in Indian Police Service next year . Presently pursuing fellowship programme in management from IIM Lucknow, this UP Cadre IPS officer is also a co-author of book on entrepreneurship, The Fresh Brew…besides that he is also serving as President with National RTI Forum, which was founded by him with doubtless commitment for transparency in public life. Like a true activist police, he is quite sanguine about the glimmering Right to Information…both as administrator and an activist, he sees RTI as empowering tool for governance. Recently we had a substantial talk in Delhi which finally appearing here as interview…

Q: - You joined IPS in 1992, and then your choice was as transient as was the economy of India. With an IIT degree in hand, why you only aspired for IPS?
A: - It was a tough decision to go against the stream but my aspirations were strong…my first choice was to join IAS, which didn’t materialize, so I opted for my second dream-IPS. These two services give the proper opportunity to assimilate with peoples and to be proactive part of machinery.

Q: - You were never a camp follower and always defied the aegis of protection, likes of caste, religion or any other hide bound categorization-how you with fallouts?
A: - Until I joined IPS in 1992, I was largely unaware about the actual equation on which systemic function rests…later I came to know how even the battered parochial views could be thrive under the strength of cronyism and influence the entire machinery. A duty bound officer like me who runs without any sanctum faces many hurdles from opposite camps with vested interest to make the system vulnerable. During initial years of my service in eastern UP, I had to confront many such grim political pressures but outgrowing the intermittent adversities, I saved my integrity.

Q: - What’s your view on Police-peoples interface and overall reform in Policy system?
A: - I support maximum participation of peoples in maintaining law& order…there must be use of local wisdom and expertise in any form of governance. So, interface is essential…yes, Police reform is the need of hour. It should be start from introducing new human resource policy and adoption of technology from the basic to top level in Police system. That will be a moral boosting exercise.

Q: - How you stepped in RTI Movement despite serving in bureaucracy?
A: - It was little bit unusual but not completely as sizable number among government officials including those who are in police have positive thinking about RTI. A fair official has nothing to afraid from RTI which is a gateway of transparency and lastly an important factor for good governance. Remarkably, RTI has enhanced the honest official’s confidence and reputation which was impossible through any other means. After gathering the inside perspectives of administration and realizing hassle of official procedures, I decided to back this movement by joining a voluntary position of President, National RTI Forum, Lucknow.

Q: - Do you think CBI should be come under the RTI Act?
A: - Yes, it will make overarching effects in other areas too that may finally enhance the people’s perception for these offices of last resort. I don’t think it may be taken as facile opinion to introduce RTI at most of places, only excluding those falls under the strategic area.

Q: - RTI Activists are frequently under the attacks that to an extant diminishing the calibrated part of activism, how you first think as an activist and later Police?
A: - It’s indeed a big concern…as an activist; it seems me like cruelty against the evangelists of fair governance. As a Police, I think it should be deal as law & order problem…once law will take it course, such terrible incidents will be sure come down.

Q: - You spent around two decades as an IPS in UP, tell us the upshot of caste politics in state which initially spread under the pseudo cover of social justice?
A: - What happened in UP in last two decades in the name of caste is shocking and frustrating. Once the nerve of central politics has diminished to merely shadow of its past…law &order is lagging behind here in absence of professional work ethics and enormous political pressure. The most worrying thing is the caste being used as means of exploitation…natural merit has no place here before the status of natural birth in a categorized caste.
Q: - Enforcement of law is essence of Policing but the state of prison is an area which is completely bereft from it, what you will suggest for reform?
A: - Speedy trial and reformist treatment with prisoners will make the positive difference besides the jail inmates should be allowed to be productive inside the define territory. If someone wants to pursue education, let him/her allow to doing …it’s nice to see many such examples in Tihar jail and even in some of smaller jails. A change can take place in human, even after the conviction of crime…that must be taken as a welcome possibility by the prison authorities and also judiciary. For these behavioural changes, we don’t have to look outside; the inspiration of Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave are quite conducive for infusing humane touch with prisoners.

Q: - There is common apathy for the bottom level of Policing, which is the biggest dent on entire Police system…what’s your take on these serious flaws of governance?
A: - Lack of professional ethics is a big concern which creates such embarrassing practices and that must be checked by the standardized rules instead of sheer upper hand action from hierarchy. At any cost, lapidary approaches have to overtake the sordid practices…with addition of ethics; technology will bring a tectonic shift in Indian Policing. Having the great IT capacity, it’s not very hard to materialize in India…whereby acronyms POLICE will justify its real meaning for all.
Q: - I hope you will subsume many issues for the sake of fair governance in Policing and will also keep holding the baton of RTI…
A: - I have been striving for the betterment of Policing and will be keep doing so…RTI activism will be also progress and I am sure days ahead are going to be very participative and full of enthusiasm for a fair and transparent governance.
Atul Kumar Thakur
June 29, 2011, Wednesday, New Delhi
Mail: summertickets@gmail.com