The recent decision of the Government of India to dismantle the Police Memorial in Delhi shows sheer apathy and disrespect this country has for its martyred policemen.
On one hand, the police force is perennially under-equipped and overworked; and on the other, they don’t seem to evoke an iota of empathy or sympathy from the general public, not even for those that get killed in action. While the army in this country is respected for its high level of professionalism and dare devilry, we often forget that when it comes to dealing with terrorism, the role of police cannot be undermined. Terrorism was wiped out in Punjab not by the army, but by Punjab Police. In Mumbai, similarly, persecution of almost 100 perpetrators was entirely handled by police. In the Naxal infested heartland of India, the war essentially is being fought by the police led by state police and the CRPF. While Kashmir gets highest possible coverage, silently ignored are hundreds of policemen who get killed in Naxal attacks and counter operations. True, the memorial would someday surely come up after it has satisfied all the citizen forums and the art commissions, but can we flatly ignore those people, who, despite their corrupt infirmities, keep working too hard...