487 criminal cases filed against State policemen; Gujarat comes next

Maharashtra continued to top the chart of States with the maximum number of policemen booked for criminal cases in 2014, data released by the National Crime Records Bureau reveals.

According to the NCRB, every fifth policeman made accused in a criminal case in the previous year was from Maharashtra which recorded 487 cases of the 2,398 nationally. As many as 417 cases were registered against cops in neighbouring Gujarat. Kerala is third on the list with 172.

A glance at the NCRB numbers from the previous five years shows a slightly fluctuating trend but the dubious distinction has stayed with Maharashtra at least since 2010 when 413 cases were registered. This was slightly reversed for the next two years with 399 and 380 cases respectively, only to break the 400-barrier again in 2013 (442).

If major incidents in Mumbai are indicative of a continuing trend then Maharashtra could have a worse record in the current year. A fratricide case inside a police station made the seniors conduct a psychometric test of all policemen of all ranks.

In addition, rape of a model at a police post, assault on seniors and the more recent “moral policing” raids where serious allegations have been made against policemen have all been reported this year. The State Anti-Corruption Bureau booking nearly 100 policemen so far would only add to the cumulative pan-State data.

The city-wise break-up of the NCRB data is not available in the report but activists such as lawyer Abha Singh opine that Mumbai and its satellite towns account for a major chunk of such cases.

“Bollywood and fashion industry being here, a lot of glamour is attached to postings in certain police stations which leads to paying of bribes for postings and even allowing illegal activities till the lid is blown off. The huge population also plays its own part,” said Ms. Singh.