Men In Khaki Proudly Wear
Hindu Identity On Their SleevesBy Anand S T Das
24 July, 2004
The Indian ExpressAt the Naroda Police Station, in a corner of Senior Inspector V.S. Gohil's chamber is a mini temple. There are idols and pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses on a shelf. Garlands, flowers, and agarbattis indicate there is daily puja.
Gohil readily admits as much. He says he's religious, of course, and is bewildered that anyone should question the elaborate ''puja sthal'' with fairy lights inside his chamber.
''Being a police officer does not mean that I cease to be a Hindu,'' he said. ''What's wrong with this?''
The army recently initiated a drive to emphasise its secular character by asking staff on duty not to sport signs of their religion on their person or display them in offices and vehicles. And in most states, police stations are discouraged from displaying religious pictures or idols.
But things are evidently different with police in Gujarat. The men are in khaki. If it weren't for their nameplates - many don't even have them - there's no way you'd know their religion. There should be no need, either. But chances are that as you step into any police station in Ahmedabad, you can't help feeling that the force is Hindu first.
At the Vejalpur Police Station, two large, framed pictures of Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva on a wall. Beneath them is the table at which an assistant sub-inspector sits.
And at the police chowki in Juhapura, Sub-Inspector G.P. Rathore's room has a wooden niche with a picture of Goddess Durga in it.
If Naroda is the place where Muslims were burnt alive in the post-Godhra riots while the police allegedly stood watching, the Vejalpur-Juhapura area has a sizable Muslim population.
But Director-General of Police A.K. Bhargava seemed sure of himself when he said that ''no Muslim visiting a police station to lodge a complain feels frightened because of these pictures and idols. They know that a policeman remains a policeman despite being a Hindu.''
Like him, most inspectors in charge of police stations said there's nothing wrong with the practice. Some seemed proud of the fact. And some said there was nothing in the police manual to prevent it.
''All this doesn't reflect any pro-Hindu bias,'' said Senior Inspector N.K. Desai of Khadia Police Station. ''We have the gods around because we seek their blessings for greater efficiency in our daily work as policemen. This is not to show we are Hindus.''
Like Desai's police station, those at Satellite, Navrangpura, Kalupur, Khadia, Sola, Shardanagar, Meghaninagar, and other areas too bear unmistakable Hindu identities, with pictures or puja sthals where worship is regular. Even police vans have pictures of Hindu deites. The practice, say those who have been in the force for long, has always been there but has grown in the last few years. But police chief Bhargava said he wouldn't initiate any move to end it.
''There's no need to rake up an issue that has no significance,'' he said. ''Policemen who are Hindus have a right to worship their gods and goddesses. If they do it at the police station, what's wrong? A policeman cannot be disallowed
from retaining his religion when he's on duty. This happens even in Parliament house and in the armed forces.''Reminded of the army's recent directive, he said: ''This is not the first time they're trying to do it. Have they been able to stop it?''
But there are former police chiefs who think otherwise. Said S.N. Sinha, who retired as DGP in 1996, ''This is an undesirable trend and should be strictly discouraged.''
And C.P. Singh, who was DGP from 1999 to 2001, said, ''This trend was present in a subdued fashion for decades, but has grown recently, particularly in the last two years. The police force should be absolutely professional and secular - in looks and practice.''
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Courtesy:Harsh Kapoor/SACW
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