By: Abhishek Sudke Interview By: Sarthak Ghoshal
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and the maintenance of law and order is at the center stage for the upkeep of our civilization, its flaws and stopgaps cannot be ignored or forgotten. The Indian Police Service, a decorated branch of the civil services in our country is tasked with maintaining the rule of law while ensuring high standards of law enforcement and crime mitigation. Joining the IPS is a dream for the large youth populace in India, but the growing criticism against this services’ functioning makes them question their career choice and this attitude and doubt could be disastrous for the future of this country. In order to understand the role, functioning, and maintenance of IPS services, we spoke with the brave and decorated, pride of the Indian Police Service - Dr. Meeran Chadha Borwankar.
Dr. Meeran Chadha Borwankar is a retired officer of the Indian Police Service. She completed her doctorate in Organizational Management along with a Bachelors in Law. She is a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow with University of Minnesota, USA. During her 36 years of service for the IPS, she served on prominent positions such as Director-General Bureau of Police Research and Development, Director General National Crime Records Bureau, Director-General, Legal and Technical, Maharashtra, Commissioner of Police, Pune, Chief of Crime Branch, Mumbai, and Chief of Maharashtra Prison Dept along with several others. She is a decorated officer and a prominent role model to young people across the country.
1. If you had to explain to a child how big a setback this crisis is for the world in a relative metric, how would you go about it?
Pandemic is once a century kind of crisis. It is a temporary setback. The human spirit would prevail as it has done in the past after equally, in fact, more devastating pandemics, of plague, yellow fever, Spanish flu, etc.
Keeping the pandemic in perspective, I would now like to take it up as an opportunity. First to keep myself safe and then to develop skills so that I emerge an enriched person.
2. Do you believe there's a disconnect between the youth and the police personnel at the senior most positions? Do you sense an array of ignorance from either side and a failure to include or listen to one another's opinion?
The disconnect between Police and youth is a fact, seniority of police officers not being the issue. More than listening, it is the lack of common forums to interact with each other. Whatever platforms exist, they are captured by youth wings of political parties. Non-political youth do not object, they are disinterested observers.
Once regular and formal forums are created and youth and police brought together, their listening capacity can be developed. How many VITians are part of ‘Mohala’ committees or Peace Committees of their local police stations? How many times has your local SHO/ACP/DCP interacted with you? Both sides need to make a sincere effort to reach out. More so during normal times than at the time of agitations/ conflicts/ disasters.
3. You’re certainly an inspiration for the younger generation, especially students who want to join the police force. Can you share an important lesson or story from your days as the police commissioner of Pune? Perhaps a challenge you had to overcome or a case you had to solve.
There were many but I would like to quote where young students decided to reach the Commissioner and it’s not often that you people do.
One late evening I got a call from a young girl, seeking to meet me. The next day two of them came to my office. They informed that a day earlier they had gone for coffee in the (CCD) Coffee Cafe Day near the airport. They were harassed by some young boys sitting at a nearby table. It was late so they rang up 100 i.e. Police Control Room seeking help. Instead, the policeman on-call duty gave them a lecture against their being out late at night. He was discourteous, impolite, and rude to them.
Since all calls in the Control Room are recorded, I called for the audio file. The girls sat with me and we listened to their conversation with the Control Room (CR). The call attendant was indeed rough and rude to them. We initiated disciplinary action against him besides shifting him out of the CR. The issue that CR should have staff that is sympathetic to citizens was discussed and acted upon. We started their regular training in soft skills with the help of faculty from a local college.
If the girls had not approached the Commissioner of Police, the discourteous staff member would have continued with his behavior hurting the sentiments of citizens. It would have brought us a bad name too.
Youth has to be bold as these girls were and take an active interest in governance if we want to have an efficient and responsive Government.
4. In your book Leaves of Life, you talk about your journey from taking the UPSC exam to a successful career as an IPS officer, so can you tell us a bit about how you tackled the gender biases in the early days of your service as a police officer?
When I selected the Indian Police Service (IPS) as my career, I was aware that it is a heavily male-dominated department. I felt that honest hard work and commitment to my job would help me overcome the gender disadvantage. It really did.
I also found out that in interaction with citizens, my gender was a big advantage. They trust women officers more. Even subordinate police staff has faith in our honesty and impartiality. They too tend to trust women police officers more. These were very pleasant surprises for me. I took full advantage of the trust that citizens and lower ranks reposed in me and tried hard to live up to their expectations.
5. Ma'am, you have led the investigation for extremely iconic cases and scandals in the past, not delving too deep into the details, can you talk about how politicization and public unrest can detour or cause issues while solving such cases?
If public unrest is for a genuine cause, it is good for society and the police. But if it is motivated by vested interest and vile politicians then it can adversely affect police working and investigation. Politicians being duly elected public representatives cannot be denied their legitimate role in governance. But they must be made aware of Rule of Law (All in Capital letters). India not being a very matured democracy they feel what ‘they say is Law’. And instead of understanding and respecting a law-abiding civil servant, they consider him/her an obstruction to their fiefdom.
IPS has been very dear to me and I was clear from the beginning that I have not joined it for time pass. I have a strong commitment to people especially the poor and the marginalized ones. The rich, I feel, has many ‘parents’ to look after their interest. Therefore, I did not allow politicians to meddle with investigation or police working. Once when a prominent Shivsena leader tried to create violence in Pune, I registered a case against them. Similarly, when a powerful NCP leader tried to allot land of Yerwada Police Station (Pune) to a private party, I refused to part with it. I was never popular with politicians of any political party but citizens always supported me.
6. Purely from a security perspective, as the lockdown reduces and the cities open up, what role do you see the police playing in controlling the spread and maintaining order during this pandemic?
Logically Police have a limited role but since citizens do not follow the instructions, we thus have to intervene and get them implemented. I would like the police to go back to their basic work as the Lockdown reduces. Citizens see only the front end of the department’s working. Back end through man management, training, crime record-keeping, computerization is all very important for us. I would like them to go back to it once the crisis is over. Till then to enforce the Lockdown, assist citizens, health care workers, and manage the crowds efficiently, is our call. I am proud that the Police are doing very well all over the country.
7. You worked as the chief of the crime branch in Mumbai, so do you see a drastic change in which crimes will be committed or solved due to the strict regulations the current situation puts on people and hence do you see a reduction or increase in crime rates across the nation?
I see a temporary reduction in body offenses and traffic accidents. Petty thefts and robberies may go up. I apprehend that cases of human trafficking involving girls, women, and children will go up due to sheer poverty.
The distressing scenario of an increase in domestic violence shows us the real face of Indian families where women are still treated as second class citizens. We need more women in powerful positions to get rid of this cultural bias.
8. Major cities in countries like the US have not handled the situation well, with an increase in public unrest and crime. Do you fear that this may be the situation in major cities in India if the public institutions don't make the right decisions in the near future?
There shall there be public unrest in India only if we fail in governance in a big way. Otherwise, Indians are peace-loving and mostly laid back by nature. Pandemic has created a most unusual situation. The Central, State governments, and all the public institutions are doing their best in responding to it. Since they are also very prompt in communicating their strategies with citizens, I do not expect any major unrest. However, some agitations at local levels regarding situational issues can not be ruled out.
9. Dharavi is an exemplary case of how public institutions have adapted and tackled the issue of coronavirus. Do you believe that this model can be successfully implemented in other districts and cities of Maharashtra?
Yes. Very few areas in Maharashtra or India would have as dense a population as Dharavi. Reaching out to the community and collaborating with it in a focused manner is a very good practice. It has indeed shown good results in combating coronavirus in Dharavi. Citizens-governance collaboration should be emphasized and replicated across the country.
10. In conclusion, what would your recommendation be to the community and especially the youth who's entering into a jobless and chaotic world that has little to offer?
Tough times do not last tough people do. Accept whatever jobs are available and use the period to learn new skills. Add value to your resume and jump in when life returns to normal, in about a year’s time. By brooding over the ‘jobless chaotic world’ you will be wasting your time. Be patient, be positive. Do not miss the opportunity when it knocks your door, which it surely will. In the meanwhile, take care of your physical, mental, social, psychological, emotional, and spiritual health. This should keep you busy and see through the crisis.
All the best for your interesting and adventurous future. The world is at your feet, my young friends.
Meeran Chadha Borwankar
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