Police Commission of 1902-03 [ extract from the Report]

The Police Commission of 1902-03 found strong evidence of widespread corruption in the police particularly among Station House Officers throughout the country. The following extract from their report gives a revealing picture of the position as seen by them:—

“The forms of this corruption are very numerous. It manifests itself in every stage of the. work of the police station. The police officer may levy a fee or receive a present for every duty he performs. The complainant has often to pay a fee for having his complaint recorded.
He has to give the investigating officer a present to secure his prompt and earnest attention to the case. More money is extorted as the investigation proceeds. When the officer goes down to the spot to make his investigation, he is a burden not only to the complainant, but to his witnesses, and often to the whole village. People are harassed sometimes by being compelled to hang about the police officer for days, , sometimes by having to accompany him from place to place, sometimes by attendance at the police station, sometimes by having him and his satellites quartered on them for days, sometimes by threats of evil consequences to themselves or their friends (especially to the women of the family) if they do not fall in with his view of the case, sometimes by invasion of their houses by low-caste people on the plea of searching for property, sometimes by unnecessarily severe and degrading measures of restraint. From all this deliverance is often to be bought only by payment of fees or presents in cash.” (Para 25)

What the Police Commission said in 1903 would more or less apply fully even to the present situation. If any thing, the position has worsened with more rampant corruption in Police today with the active connivance of numerous local Dadas and unprincipled men in public life (THIRD REPORT NATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION)