The police continue to hit the headlines in India, generally for all the wrong reasons. India must be one of the few democratic countries where citizens do not trust the police, an important administrative organ of their elected government, and feel intimidated by them. The Indian police are seen to serve the interests of the ruling elite, despite the passage of 60 years of independence and establishment of the republic, and despite the fact that the police leadership is carefully selected and groomed and enjoys high status in the country. Unfortunately, little is known about the police organisation and the reasons for its poor image. Citizens remain ignorant of and aloof from the problems of Indian police that ultimately affect the functions of the organisation. A widespread belief pins most of the ills to the 'politicization' of the service, in which politicians are dubbed the culprits, not letting the police play its rightful role in the society. However, the problems of the Indian police run deep—the design, structure, culture and leadership are all equally responsible for the present state of affairs. This remains hidden due to a lack of understanding about the nature and functions of the police in the country. Apart from the memoirs of many police officers and the occasional academic study of specific issues related to policing, knowledge about the police remains limited in the country and to most concerned citizens. This book attempts to fill this gap by providing a lucid and thoughtful exposition of the police system of the country. It attempts to describe not only the basic structure and functions of the police but also the historical context that has made it a pawn in the exercise of power by politicians and bureaucrats. The book is written by two senior police officers who are now outside the system. This enables them to provide not only an insider's viewpoint but also a dispassionate analysis of the police organisation. This is the first book of its kind, written primarily for educated citizens to empower them with knowledge so that they can understand the role of the police that governs them. Since informed citizens form the bulwark of a democratic state, it is hoped that this book will play an important role in strengthening the democratic ethos of the country.

Preface ................................................................................................. vii
Acknowledgement ................................................................................. ix
Contents ............................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER 1
History of Modern Police in India ................................................ 1
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1
CASE STUDY
Kissa Kursi Ka: A Case of Political Shenanigan ....................................14
CHAPTER 2
The Union Home Ministry and Police Organisation ................. 23
ORIGINS OF THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (MHA) ...........................23
CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE...................................................................23
ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................25
Central Police Organisations (CPOs) ...........................................26
Central Police Forces (CPFs) .........................................................27
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) ....................................28
Assam Rifles (AR) .........................................................................29
Border Security Force (BSF) .........................................................29
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) ......................................30
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) ..............................................30
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)/Special Service Bureau .......................30
National Security Guard (NSG) ..................................................30
India Reserve Battalions (IR Battalions) ......................................31
CASE STUDY
Nandigram: State Violence, Central Paramilitary Forces and
The State Police Forces ...................................................................35
CHAPTER 3
State Police Forces: Structure, Recruitment and Training ........... 43
OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE POLICE ORGANISATION ....................47
RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING ................................................................49
CASE STUDY
Training of IPS Officers ......................................................................55
CHAPTER 4
The Intelligence Collection Role of Police Case of
Intelligence Bureau................................................................ 71
POLITICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE IB ........................................................76
MISUSE OF INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES BY THE GOVERNMENT ....................76
INTERNAL POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE ........................................................77
POLITICAL ROLE OF INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES .........................................80
LP SINGH COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................82
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL ................................................................82
CASE STUDY
Spy Spook in India ...............................................................................84
CHAPTER 5
Crime Investigation .................................................................... 99
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................99
Registration of Crimes ............................................................... 100
The Process of Investigation ...................................................... 101
Search and Seizures .................................................................... 103
Arrest of Suspects ....................................................................... 104
Documentation and Presentation of Evidence in the Court ..... 105
Conclusion ................................................................................. 106
CASE STUDY
Arushi Talwar-Hemraj Double Murder Investigation ........................ 109
CHAPTER 6
Order Maintenance ...................................................................115
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 115
Definition of Public Disorder in India ...................................... 116
Varieties of Disorder Situations in India ................................... 117
Police Tactics in Maintaining Order .......................................... 119
SEPARATING LAW-ORDER FUNCTIONS FROM CRIME CONTROL
RESPONSIBILITIES ........................................................................... 122
CASE STUDY
The Politics of Order Maintenance: Gujjar Agitation
in Rajasthan ................................................................................. 127
CHAPTER 7
Terrorism in India ......................................................................139
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 139
PAKISTAN’S INVOLVEMENT IN PROMOTING TERRORISM IN INDIA ............. 144
PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST TERRORISM ......................................... 147
CASE STUDY
‘Salwa Judum’—‘State Terror’ Against ‘Maoist Terror’
in Chhattisgarh ............................................................................ 153
CHAPTER 8
Human Insecurity and the Indian Police ....................................161
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 161
CASE STUDY
The Narmada Valley Development Project and Human
Insecurity in India ....................................................................... 173
CHAPTER 9
Politicisation of the Police ...........................................................183
REASONS FOR POLITICAL INTERFERENCE ............................................... 190
REAL CAUSE IS LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM ............................................ 195
CASE STUDY
Politicisation of the Indian Police During the Gujarat
Carnage 2002 .............................................................................. 198
CHAPTER 10
Applications of Technology in Police Work .................................209
AREAS OF APPLICATIONS ....................................................................... 210
AREAS OF FURTHER APPLICATIONS ........................................................ 214
CASE STUDY
Technology Application to Traffic Management Safe
Routes to School ......................................................................... 224
CHAPTER 11
Policing a District .......................................................................235
DISTRICT AS A HISTORICAL UNIT OF ADMINISTRATION ........................ 235
POLICE ESTABLISHMENT AS PANOPTICON ............................................... 237
THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE ....................................................... 239
THE POLICE STATION .......................................................................... 241
URBAN AND RURAL POLICING ............................................................. 243
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SP AND THE COLLECTOR/DM .............. 247
SERVICE ORIENTED PROBLEMS ............................................................. 248
CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 250
CASE STUDY
Working for the People ...................................................................... 252
CHAPTER 12
Cyber Cops ................................................................................263
INDIAN IT INDUSTRY .......................................................................... 263
ILLUSTRATIVE CASES OF CYBER CRIMES ................................................. 268
PREVENTIVE MEASURES ....................................................................... 272
POLICE RESPONSE TO CYBER THREAT ................................................... 277
CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 279
CHAPTER 13
The Role of Police in Democratic India .....................................283
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 283
ROLE OF THE CPFS AT AYODHYA 1992 AND GUJARAT 2002 ............. 285
POLITICISATION OF THE POLICE .......................................................... 287
THREAT OF TERRORISM TO DEMOCRACY IN INDIA .................................. 289
REFORM EFFORTS ............................................................................... 290
CASE STUDY
Assisting Weaker Sections of the Society ........................................... 296
Index .............................................................................................. 307

Arvind Verma, a former officer of the Indian Police Service, has served for 17 years in the state of Bihar. He is currently on the faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice at Indiana University, Bloomington, and has been the Director of the India Studies Academic Program there. His current research interests are in data analysis and visualisation, criminal justice in India and comparative policing. He has several publications and articles to his credit. He took a degree in engineering mathematics from IIT Kanpur and a doctoral degree in criminology from Simon Fraser University, Canada. His doctoral work was concerned with analysis of criminal justice data using a variety of mathematical techniques such as fuzzy logic, topology and fractals. He has served as the Managing Editor of Police Practice and Research: An International Journal and as an advisor to the Bureau of Police Research and Development in India.
KS Subramanian, a former officer of the Indian Police Service, is currently a Visiting Professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Some of the many distinguished posts he has held are Assistant Director, Intelligence Bureau; Director, Research and Policy Division, Union Home Ministry; Director-General, State Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development Government of Tripura; Professor, Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi; Visiting Fellow, Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford. He has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla as well as at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK. He was a member of the Concerned Citizens Tribunal, Gujarat 2002. His current research interests include the role of voluntary action in rural development.