It is important to ask ourselves why this unfortunate situation has arisen. A complete answer is likely to run into volumes. To be brief, I believe it is because the Police is the most visible coercive arm of governance. It is symbolic of the power of the State and in our country politicians have come to believe that the individual power and popularity of a politician depends on his ability to flout the law, have conspicuous Police presence around him in public, to get the Police to harass his opponents, to protect his supporters and illicit financiers from Police action or even get criminals in the custody of the Police released. Unfortunately, many of the numerous tasks that a politician has to undertake to face the hustings successfully also lend themselves easily to aggravate this scenario.
Meetings have to be organized.
Gangs of thugs who have to be fed and served with liquor are required to paste posters and disfigure or remove the posters of opponents. Hooligans are also required to disrupt the meetings of opponents or waylay vehicles on their way to such meetings. Indeed it is a tragedy, that one has to orchestrate all these unlawful activities if he is to be successful in an election. With protection guaranteed the daring Police officers make hay, the spineless just cave in and those who resist fade away. What I have attempted to outline briefly is a scenario in which power hungry politicians thrive on the support of the Police who in turn become corrupt and inefficient.