Lack of contemporary technology and innovation leads to increase in the number of fatal encounters between criminals and police

Yesterday, I happened to read articles on the THE EDIT PAGE of Hindustan Times (28.6.2006). The articles were basically about the purported indulgence of Police in staged encounters to ensure the elimination of dreaded terrorists. Although it may be difficult or rather impossible to prove anything in a court of law, but probably, it would be closer to the truth to admit, that at times, such things do happen. I am not one to shed tears for the so called suppression of the sacrosanct human rights of terrorists who may have suppressed the human rights of a score of people and / or in all probability would be doing so, had they remained alive. But the basic issue remains substantially unaddressed.
My contention is that lack of contemporary technology and innovation leads to increase in the number of fatal encounters between criminals and police. I also believe that continuous improvement and technological innovations are the two most important tools to ensure the continued relevance of an entity. Any slip up, and the relevance of the concerned entity starts getting eroded.
Most of the proponents of staged encounters argue that it rids the society of the dangerous and damaging elements with great speed and is an effective solution. I do agree, but it is also a fact that to err is human and to control that propensity towards committing errors, proper checks and effective controls are sorely and surely needed to be in place. It is also an undeniable fact that at times, the checks and controls tie down the hands of the law enforcers to such an extent that action becomes impossible, but then that is the issue. Why not evolve methods which provide law enforcing agencies (off course Police force included) the finesse to ensure that the checks and controls do not hamper their work when that work or action is in the right direction?
Well, any attempt at evolving methods and changing the existing outdated protocols governing any police action / role will first and foremost require a drastic and complete paradigm shift. To start with, it will be imperative to ensure that the leadership at the lowest functional unit is adequately educated, adequately intelligent, sufficiently motivated and comprehensively trained. This will require a total rethink in the process of recruitment, training and compensation – a very difficult, may be an impossible task for the current policy makers and decision makers as long as they do not elect to move out of their well entrenched comfort zone. Anyway, till there is some rationalization in this direction, we will keep seeing the talented people joining the Private Sector where some of them will become delinquents (aided by all the technology available at their beck and call) and the less talented, ill motivated and ill trained law enforcers making a vain attempt at chasing them.
I wish to share an illustrative example to describe how bad the situation has become. A few months back there was a news report which stated that Digital Cameras were provided at some of the Police Stations in Mumbai but the same were not being utilized as the personnel had not been trained in its use. This issue, although a hilarious one at the superficial level, also has a very serious dimension at another level. Just ponder over the following proposition- hand over a reasonably advanced Digital Camera alongwith its operation manual to a reasonably intelligent eighth grader who has some exposure / knowledge of Computers – in all probability the child will not only be able to operate it but will also be able to access most of its advanced features within a few minutes. Now, I hope you get to understand the depth of the problem. Our law enforcers just do not make the cut. The fault does not lie with them, but with their top brass and the policy makers, who suffer not only from hitherto incurable myopia but also have severely clouded vision due to severe cataract.
As far as enhancing the quality of human resources is concerned, a very simple solution would be to adopt the recruitment standards and training methods that the armed forces follow at the level of Trainee Commissioned Officers / Gentlemen Cadets, and start equating the rank of Police Sub Inspector with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the Army. The only proverbial fly in the ointment will be the question of accommodating the I.P.S. officers- this problem is a solution in itself – give the rank of I.P.S. officers to all the officers of the level of Sub Inspectors with prospective effect i.e, to all new recruits. Over a period of time, this one step will reverse almost all the problems related to poorly motivated, inadequately trained and intellectually mediocre personnel that we see in the ranks of the Police Force, especially at the cutting edge. Please understand, the increased compensation package will be more than justified by the radically improved standards of policing and the resultant hugely favourable law and order situation.
My other contention, in continuation of the post dated 20.6.2006 ("Mera Bharat Mahan- world force in information tech" but complete lack of tech savviness where it matters), is that unless the latest and the dominant technology is harnessed in the right earnest, the law enforcement agencies will keep on losing. The continual loss will keep on increasing the pressure and will result in the Law enforcers’ conscious circumvention of the straight and narrow path of rectitude. The net result –poorly organized action, improper investigation, delay in completion of investigation, feeble prosecution- resulting in poor rate of conviction in court of law – increasing frustration, stress, pressure – staged encounters, torture, illegal detentions etc.
An earnest suggestion regarding the employment of contemporary technology is as follows –
¨ To begin with make all the police stations and police vehicles internet enabled and comprehensively networked.
¨ Provide G.P.S. system to every mobile unit / detachment and ensure that it remains functional at all time.
¨ Install cameras (with sizeable storage) at the police stations as well as the vehicles; also provide digital cameras with video recording capability to every mobile unit / detachment so that continuous record of proceedings can be made and stored. This recording may be scrutinized at different levels and relevant portions may be preserved for future reference.
¨ The data capturing, storage and access system should be holistically designed in such a manner that it is resistant to manipulation- access should be controlled in a rational manner.
¨ Ensure that all the data storage- text or speech or video, is done properly. All transactions and records are stored in the electronic format with foolproof time and date stamp (in electronic form) and access to relevant portion is allowed to the general public.
Please do not feel that the proposal is too complex or too costly or too difficult to effect. The technological advancements are such and the costs have come down to such levels that, it would cost the proverbial peanuts to carry out, but will definitely require a very strong and astute top management to make the change acceptable to all and sundry. The challenge lies in managing the human resources’ general reluctance, aversion and hostility towards change. And, in this case, owing to poorly trained manpower it may assume another dimension – the training and orientation would be very difficult unless carried out in a scientific manner taking into account all aspects of human behaviour.
Another idea, provide every policeman from top to bottom with a personal communication tool such as a cell phone. Again, an unthinkable proposition a few years back, but, atleast in the metros, a very cheap and workable solution at the moment. At the present cost, with some amount of negotiation with the commercial players, it should not cost more that five hundred to a thousand rupees as one time capital cost (Cell Phone Instrument) per person, and thereafter, may be fifty to hundred rupees per person per month as recurring cost. Off course usage will have to be rationally limited and graded as per need. This is again peanuts but may considerably enhance the productivity and efficacy.
Thirdly, evolve and formulate legislation to modify and develop the existing statutes to an extent where cognizance of changing technological environment is assured. Why should a court of law not accept the evidence in the shape of a video recording when the system is certified to be free of manipulation but accept the evidence given by illiterates and obscure persons in the shape of a panchanama? These issues need to be addressed ASAP, and believe me, once such issues are addressed and resolved, the need for staged encounters will be eliminated.
Till then, watch “Ab Tak Chhappan”, and “Gangajal”.

Hoping for some lateral thinking by the policymakers and armed forces top brass

Recently an officer of the Indian Army committed suicide. It is my personal opinion that the matter was given somewhat more than its due share of weightage by the media. But, evidently there was some valid (from the perspective of the media) reason behind it – the officer concerned was not an ordinary military-man but happened to be a lady.
Some insinuation was made towards the conduct of the deceased lady’s mother. Reportedly it was she who had pressurized her daughter to seek employment in the Indian Army, and subsequently when her daughter was not particularly keen on continuing as an army officer, she had kept up the pressure and as a result the unfortunate event happened.
Later on, the media got hold of certain medical records outlining the details of certain psychiatric problems with which that officer had ostensibly been suffering. It is not clear to me whether the leakage of medical details was solely the result of some exceptionally resourceful news-reporter’s perseverance and diligence or the Army brass itself had a role to play in its leakage. Any way things were still very much in control despite the customary noises being made by the Gender Equality Groups and the Women Rights Activists / Groups.
The debate regarding the problems being faced by the women in the armed forces in particular, and in other fields of employment in general, was dragging on at a leisurely pace as is the wont of such debates, but suddenly their was a drastic change. It so happened that an exceptionally high ranking officer of the Army decided to put his foot in his mouth. What the worthy man said was certainly not unknown or absolutely inaccurate but to utter the same was definitely not acceptable. Not acceptable because in the present circumstances (read in the era of social and political awareness and resultant sensibilities real or forced) there as so many things that you or me are not supposed to say aloud as it may be considered politically wrong or socially wrong or plain rude. It is no consolation that the whole world may know that the unutterable is a cardinal truth, as the fact, that no one is supposed to speak those cardinal truths is also a cardinal truth. The worthy man, who happens to be the vice chief of the world’s third largest army did the unthinkable – he verbalized the truth – that the army would be happier if it could do without its female officers. The mayhem was singularly violent in its condemnation of the unutterable truth and it took the damage control at the highest levels and an apology from the worthy man to stem the tide. The media again was at the helms of the affair. It had to milk the whole issue to its full capacity and in the process if the duration of milking could be extended by any means it was definitely welcome. Fortunately or unfortunately the vice chief did not turn out to be as unyielding / adamant / steadfast (depending upon your point of view) as Amir Khan and did a classic tactical retreat by tendering an apology. Off course he must have been trained and indoctrinated about the virtues of tactical retreats so that one may live to fight another day.
I have very little interest in going into the details of the raging debate and as usual I am only concerned with the issues that the media, the debaters as well as the policy makers are just not ready to look at.
No one has thought it prudent to ponder over the fact that traditionally the employment in the armed forces has not been available till the age of 58 or 60 to the majority of the troops and the officers. This is a vital issue as it is an undisputed fact that an unacceptably huge proportion of the budget available to the armed forces goes in paying the salary of the serving manpower and another unacceptably huge portion goes towards servicing the pension liabilities of the people who have retired from the forces. The continued economic growth has resulted in growing life expectancy and this has further accentuated the problem. The result is that very little money is available for equipments and consumables. In fact the Air force, which is the most capital intensive of all the three arms is facing such a crunch that its capabilities, in terms of number of aircrafts, is getting reduced by the day. As of today a substantial part of its highly trained workforce (read the fighter pilots) is employed in desk jobs, and this is not to provide them rest but because there is an acute shortage of aircrafts for them to fly.
My contention is that forget about the debate on giving opportunity to women in the armed forces for the time being. In most of the countries where females are being employed in the armed forces, it is a limited role that they play. And to a large extent in all those countries there is an acute shortage of employable youths owing to reasons ranging from small population pool to changing age profile of the available population. None of these problems plague India at the moment and may not be a real issue for another half a century.
The pertinent point, in my opinion is, why not reduce the strength of the permanent manpower in the forces to, say, ten percent of the present strength and recruit the rest for, say, a three to five or ten year terms. This way the age profile of the forces can be brought down and pension liabilities can also be contained. Moreover, it may, in all probability, result in greater integration of the armed forces’ ethos in civilian society. Another point is that the homogeneity of manpower and training ethos breed a kind of stagnation. Multiple entry and exit points may keep on injecting fresh talent and thought processes at all levels and may actually enrich the venerable institutions. The bottomline regarding discipline and certain other issues where some amount of rigidity is desirable can always be taken care of by the permanent cadre. Another idea would be to allow the reverse operation of the same process. The permanent cadre of staff available with the forces may be allowed, rather encouraged, to opt for deputation for short periods (ranging from a couple of years to five years) out of the forces to earn some extra money as well as fresh perspective. It is just a matter of proper planning and execution. Another vital point - this is not an original idea as several western nations reeling with stagnant population, changing demographic profile or plainly because of a small total population pool have been practicing it in some form or other.
The first impact, that I can foresee is the immediate withdrawal of foreign commercial pilots employed by the fast expanding airlines. This will save a lot of foreign currency as the foreign pilots are sure to remit a substantial portion of their earnings to their native countries. Secondly, it will immediately reduce the burden of paying salary to the Air force pilots who are doing nothing but pushing files. It is not well known but nonetheless it is a fact that the pilots draw a considerably higher pay-package than other staff as they are provided with generous flying allowance. I do no know if they draw the extra allowance irrespective of the fact whether they are actually flying or doing desk jobs (I hope someone will enlighten me). In any case, the reduction in financial burden would, definitely, be a step in the right direction and would augment the funds available for acquisition of new equipment.
Let us hope that our policymakers start doing some lateral thinking and the media starts looking for real issues instead of wasting the precious news space (and expensive news / air time) on the non-issues.

"Mera Bharat Mahan- world force in information tech" but complete lack of tech savviness where it matters.

Imagine the situation – a person, a lady to be specific, goes missing. Nothing unusual, scores of people go missing in this country on every given day. No great news, definitely not something having much potential for being milked by the media. And here lies the crux of the issue. The matter ends up as the leading news on the front page of a premier daily (MumbaiMirror- 19.6.2006).
Well, the news is about a lady who goes missing and after about one and a half years, it is discovered that she had been murdered by her paramour. This piece of news has a tenor which suggests that the authorities concerned with investigating the matter (read police) displayed the sort of tenacity which is normally reserved for pit bull terriers and in general did a great job, and so, perhaps, as a result the case came to be solved.
I certainly do not have much to complain about the tardy pace at which the investigating authorities could accomplish their onerous task. Their lot is such that any case solved by them in itself is worthy of serious appreciation, leave aside a murder case. This is not so because of lack of aptitude or industry; in my personal opinion most of the policemen have sufficient intelligence and are in general distinctly meticulous. The problem lies elsewhere, and for the obfuscation of the real issues regarding those problems, I hold, that the responsibility lies not only at the doors of the regular crime beat reporters but also their higher ups, the venerable bureaucracy (read the planners and the policy makers), the government and the public.
The issue is much deeper than it appears. It is one of those cases where the authorities would have automatically been especially alert and would have taken the pains of going the proverbial extra mile in trying to find a cogent explanation. Consider the following points. Firstly, the lady in question happened to be an Inspector of Income Tax, a Central Government Employee with considerable executive authorities – certainly not qualified to be defined as mere hoi-polloi. Secondly she happened to be a widow who had been given the employment on compassionate grounds after her husband’s demise- such unfortunate circumstances which result in some kind of mitigating benefit almost always entail risk to the beneficiary from relatives / acquaintances, basically due to jealousy, perceived loss of control etc; this kind of situation was reported very extensively during the aftermath of the Kargil War when the war widows had received substantial pecuniary benefits. Thirdly, it seems, as reported in the news report that the lady concerned had been posted in such a position where she was evidently wielding considerable authority; this is evident from the report that she was in the habit of extorting money from some builders.
Now, one fine day the lady goes missing and after a lapse of about eighteen months it is found that she was murdered by her paramour; the body was mutilated and dumped at a place which happened to be the neighbouring district. The breakthrough comes not because of anything else but because the body had not gone missing – it had been recovered within a month of the murder. The moot question is, how and why it took so many months to link up the recovery of an unclaimed body with the fact that a lady had been reported missing from neighbouring district- the lady was definitely not an ordinary woman lost in the vast expanse of anonymity. Well, the recovery and identification of a dead body is one of the most vital pieces of evidence in the Indian jurisprudence and despite that having been accomplished there was a delay of almost seventeen months before the matter could be solved at the level of the investigating unit. Definitely, conviction would be an entirely different ball game – more on that in some future log.
I happen to post this log and all of you who happen to access it, do so by virtue of the information revolution that has changed this whole world and converted it into an e- village. But, evidently our law enforcement agencies, investigating authorities and many other potent agencies (authorities blessed with the power of governing us in general) have remained singularly untouched, unstained and untainted by the burgeoning advances in technology. Well the case having remained unsolved for eighteen months definitely is a pointer.
Now, coming to the crux of the issue, my case is not the failure of the authorities in putting an effective information system in place which could have precluded such eventualities were cases remain unsolved due to lack of availability of crucial data. But, the crucial issue is the abject failure of the media in pointing out the reasons. The fourth estate has come to wield substantial influence and attendant authority and therefore has grave responsibilities thrust on it. The abdication of its responsibilities in giving a proper direction to the other conventional pillars of the nation / democracy is totally unacceptable. Unless the public makes a fervent demand, it may never get the kind of governance that it should get; and the media is not only the voice of the public but the situation is such that it has to play the role of its tutor as well. Perhaps some wise news hound will read this and take pains to point out the deficiencies and perhaps that may make a change. Till then, forget about the lady who happened to be an executive of the Central Government and think of the multitudes of ordinary Indians who are counted only as voters, and nothing else. What happens when they go missing? Well, nothing. Yes, literally nothing happens- at times they are not even fortunate enough to end up as mere statistics. The reason is very simple why tarnish the records of a police station with unnecessary cases.
Another point to ponder- try losing your international credit card. If you lose your credit card anywhere in the world, believe me, an ordinary banker, with the right aptitude and tools, will be able to locate so much data about you in a matter of seconds that it will leave you aghast. Try doing the same with your cell phone and again the same thing will happen. And here in “Mera Bharat Mahan” a dead body of a woman is recovered and remains unidentified for eternity despite the registration of a case in the neighbouring district, of a lady gone missing; later on, after about seventeen months, it transpires that there is some connection.

Mumbai-Nasik Highway hits the forest roadblock - "traffic congestion due to trees"

Well, the recent news about the construction of the dual carriageway for the Mumbai-Nasik Highway having hit a roadblock with the forest department raising objections purportedly on the grounds that the project may involve cutting of some ten thousand odd trees has again forced me to put on my thinking cap.
We have all been told that forests are the lungs of the Earth. Well by that logic the Government paraphernalia which has been created for the welfare and maintenance of the forests may be considered as the custodians of the lungs. Fine but well what would happen if the custodians of the lungs deny the all important blood vessels a passage through them. Or in cases where the existing blood vessels are present but have become clogged and the Cardiac Expert has prescribed a bypass or augmentation of the capacity of the all important blood vessels which have become clogged, the custodian of the lungs, straight away deny them the right of way.
The question is not about anything else but the perverted environment created due to the inherently flawed counterproductive interplay of different laws, rules and priorities. More so because the different arms of the Government keep on jousting for their opportunity to appear in the limelight and then the complete lack of holistic thinking on the part of the Government further accentuates the predicament.
Now, consider the following points-
1. A project which is undeniably crucial and essential – anyone who has some experience of driving on the stretch from Mumbai to Nasik will vouch for it;
2. The project being basically sponsored by the Government – that is the omnipotent body;
3. No other logical option available where the project could be sought to be completed without some collateral damage being caused to the forest save and except that a skyway is constructed over the top of the trees or a subterranean passage is created underneath the roots of the all important trees.
In the light of the above mentioned irrefutable facts, any reasonably intelligent, or I may be allowed to take the liberty of going further, any person who is not particularly blessed with imbecility would have seen to it that the project gets through without any hindrance; if only that person had the authority to decide. The irony is that in this case the adage that the whole is greater that sum total of its parts falls flat on its face. The problem arises because the whole lot of intelligent persons (read bureaucrats and politicians) who run this country just do not make a whole which is more intelligent and efficient than the combined total of their competencies ( which to begin with is not particularly great) in their individual capacity. Rather, let us face it, some how they defeat all logic and manage to bring it down to their lowest common competence / inefficiency or may be even below that.
Another vital point, the project that is being hit is the one which is primarily a Government sponsored project and the state concerned is one of the most progressive states in the country. With the kind of red-tapism that is present, as is self evident, I shudder to even contemplate the enormity of adversity that other projects which are not similarly backed would be suffering. And what of the less favourably backed projects in the so called backyard of the country where lawlessness is the law of the land?

"Random Thoughts" on the phenomena of corruption among Government Servants

Today there was a news report regarding the involvement of some military generals in a scam related to procurement of some cereals, pulses to be precise, which were meant for the consumption of the troops. It seems poor quality cereals had been procured and there were some purported financial misdeeds in which the generals had indulged for their own benefit, and in the process had become guilty of some sort of delinquency. This particular news item has put me in a contemplative mood.
Well, the first thought that comes to mind is why there is so much corruption. Second, how do we define corruption – certainly there are service rules governing the behaviour of all and sundry who are employed in any kind of organization- transgression of the service rules particularly the ones defining financial dealings definitely makes you corrupt in legal terms. But why do we have to resort to such strait jacketing and such stringent rules? And then again why there is no allowance for the microscopic minority among a class of crass mediocre who perform much better than the masses? By performance I do not mean just the performance of formal duties which are more often than not superficial in nature, but certainly much beyond that.
I fervently believe that the root cause of corruption, primarily among government servants is the complete absence of any positive discrimination between the brilliant performers, the mediocre and the non-performers. There are a number of pointers-
1. It is no secret that the performance appraisal system, as of now, in vogue in Government Service is absolutely abysmal. It is a complete farce and at times it is used for vindictive purposes by the superiors.
2. The seniority is the basic and in almost all cases the only criterion for promotion. This is basically because of the farcical performance appraisal system.
3. The salary is dependent on seniority and rank and has absolutely no connection whatsoever with performance. Off course there is no scope for performance based incentive / bonus etc. Traces of socialism!!
Now coming to the main discussion, in the scenario as outlined above, any intelligent and capable employee will have just four options-
1. Shun all high risk but potentially highly beneficial behaviour connected with his work arena. This is so because in any case he does not stand to benefit if his decisions and actions turn out to be good but in case there is any kind of loss or notional loss there is a risk of a severe rap on the knuckles. The risk is not balanced with any benefit. All risk no gain.
2. Get in the groove of mediocrity, become a non-performer. This is a safe and sound option. No risk and no gain, but well, in any case there was no scope for any gain in the first place. No risk no gain but safe and secure.
3. Embrace the risks not only the ones related to actions which may have the potential for benefits to the organization or to the group of people whom the organization serves but also towards his own personal benefits. Well, this is the beginning of corruption as defined by the various statutes.
4. In exceptional cases one who has already climbed through the various steps as defined by Maslow towards the need for self actualization may just forget about any positive discrimination and resultant personal benefit and still take the risks and perform. But in majority of such cases, anecdotal reportage does indicate that need for social acceptance, although of a higher order than ordinarily defined by Maslow does operate and becomes the motivating factor. In any case this class is extremely miniscule and does not hold much relevance. Such people are initially eulogized by the media and thereafter either their superiors who are more often than not their detractors force them out of the scene or they simply fade away. The Don Quixotes.
Well, at the moment the context of the discussion is corruption and here we are concerned with the employee who exercises the third option. And here lies the irony – in fact the irony is that for a normal human being who is competent, intelligent and reasonably motivated, there is, in fact no other option, but the third option.
Even otherwise, it is very difficult, rather impossible to curb the basic economic and business instincts. The activity of looking for and making a profit is a normal instinct and will always remain intact. The only way out is to reward such actions of an employee which bring profit to the organization. By profit, I do not mean just monetary profit but profit in a wider sense. Again by reward I do not mean immediate monetary reward but definitely some tangible reward measurable in terms of monetary benefit and having some relationship with the performance and definitely within some well defined time frame.
In any case what I am advocating is neither an original idea nor a purely theoretical design. These practices are well established in the private sector where performance incentives constitute a larger proportion of the pay package than the fixed component. In fact this is the tool which keeps the huge army of dealers and traders employed by stock broking firms, forex trading banks, commodity traders, bond traders etc. from straying. In most cases there is a transparent system of giving incentives so that the employee is not only motivated to perform but also to ensure that he keeps the benefits of the employer as the sole target. This is so because the employees’ personal benefits and the employer’s benefits not only converge but the relationship between the two is also defined.
As far as Government Servants are concerned there is no way that corruption can be rooted out. The reasons are simple- firstly as the situation has come to be derived there is no way that the pay packages of this group of employee can be rationalized. Secondly there is a complete divergence between the magnitude of authority that this group exercises and the compensation (in legitimate monetary terms) it receives. Thirdly the gulf between the legitimate financial status of this group vis-à-vis the group with which it tries to compare or benchmark itself will keep on widening – result of the buoyant economy and growing income disparities.
There are some noises being made regarding the constitution of the Sixth Pay Commission but the dominant noise is that whatever little it may or may not be able to do towards rationalization of the pay packages of Government Employees, it will definitely cripple the Government finances. Well, so be it, please do not constitute the Sixth pay Commission, let there be scams galore, at least the Government finances will remain healthy.