‘Paid security’ must go

That a 19-year-old Indian-British citizen, in the first flush of youth, careening on New Delhi’s posh Chanakyapuri area in a posh-er Bentley, unmindful of the traffic, crashes into an autorickshaw, killing a foreign tourist and injuring two others, doesn’t kindle any shock. It has the ring of ordinariness on Indian roads, routinely witnessing reckless driving and fatalities. What is astonishing is that the accused, nephew of the late liquor baron Ponty Chadha, had been enjoying ‘paid’ police security for the past three years. Reports claim that he was being escorted by gunmen at the time of the accident, raising a pertinent question: Why should a professional state police force offer its services in lieu of money to the immensely privileged, who can, indubitably, hire private guards? 

His father, chairman of Wave Group, had sought six gunmen from the Punjab Police, at a price of Rs 8 lakh per guard per annum. For a family that rides a Bentley Bentayga, costing an upward of Rs 3.5 crore, it is small change. What makes it consequential is the perceived status symbol of having cops in uniform at their beck and call. The Punjab Police did go by the rulebook, there being a provision for such security after threat evaluation. But should it become a part of this foul image game? In this case, ‘family feud’ and ‘business rivalry’ were cited as the reasons, simulating frivolity, since prominent businessmen must encounter it at some stage. 

The privilege of ‘paid protectees’ needs to go; it has been twisted enough. The police is not a mercenary force. In a state under the grip of multiple crime syndicates, from sand mining to drug mafia, the Punjab Police need all hands on deck. Their duty is towards all people, especially those with no means to hire bouncers or guards, and yet may be under real threat — the family of a rape victim taking on an influential accused; an honest officer fighting rogue elements with political patronage. It is here, the police must have their back.