A documentary on police brutality in India

[Lije]

Quite disturbing to watch.

[astrokid.nj]

Sigh.. As usual, have to exclaim.. Where did we go wrong.. where did we go wrong...
But the silver lining is that the good fight is going on.. thanks people watch.
Here's one more related video..

[arvindiyer]

Riot control in India tends to be unacceptably more prone to casualties than it needs to be, due to obsolete technology and near-arbitrary discretionary powers. Following is an archive of a Facebook discussion in the Nirmukta Skeptics Facebook group.

OP by AI:

Quote:How can a credible scientific evaluation of proposed riot control technologies for Indian law enforcement be made?

How many more Azad Maidans? (Mid Day article dated September 18, 2012)

GC:

Quote:I am glad to see this issue being discussed. Actually, I despair everytime the words 'police have to be rough or they cannot maintain law and order' are uttered (or something similar).

Several countries use rubber pellet guns for police actions for non-lethal violence against rioters. (Instead of using actual guns which increases the cost in terms of bullets). Why India does not even consider it so far is beyond comprehension. Is life so cheap here? Or does the state have to control every dissent by killing a few persons to reinforce its message.

We have to insist that handing over control of a riot situation to the police carte blanche is just not done in a democracy. There are laws which are to be followed by the police also.

On a related note, just to contrast the situations mentioned in the article with a demonstration that happened in Chennai last week... .... more than 10000 muslims had gathered on Anna Salai near Tarapore Towers to protest against the US govt (demanding a ban on the film). Whether the protest shows intolerance to what is perceived as blasphemy is another topic entirely .... would not like to go into it here.

The protesters exercised their democratic right to protest by giving speeches, raising slogan, burning effigies and flags (US) etc. Some tried to move towards the US Consulate. They tried to push at the barricades. The police were firm but polite. They remained so for several hours. Why did they not instigate and fire or lathi-charge these protesters like the police did in Paramakudi (last year) or in Koodankulam (just a few weeks back)?

Was it because of the 'political will' to see this demonstration as a democratic protest (as it was against the US govt and did not affect the state govt per se) and to see Paramakudi as communal or Koodankulam as anti-national (as these were against the state and central govts)?

So if the State refuses to be a neutral entity (and becomes a subjective player) in these situations, how can it have the moral or legal authority to decide what's democratic and what's not?

AI:

Quote:Would you like to write an article on humane and effective policing that both addresses the humanitarian imperative as well as solves the associated technical problem of minimizing 'collateral damage'? A post with a reiteration of the right to peaceful protest, a survey of methods in use elsewhere and related policy suggestions can help start a useful, much-needed conversation. For now, I have archived the thoughtful comment above in this thread: http://nirmukta.net/Thread-A-documentary...y-in-India