Kochi: “The civil service in Kerala has only gone down over the years,” IAS officer Prasanth Nair said, addressing a searing discussion at Manorama Hortus on Saturday. “In my 19th year in service, I can say officers with spine and who stand firm for the truth are sidelined and made irrelevant. The IAS and IPS officers enjoy constitutional protection. Even then, if they cannot take a stand and question injustice, they should resign. The system here runs smoothly because normal officers - village officers, CPOs, sub-inspectors - who don’t have those privileges, dare to say no. They have spine, and they are Kerala’s hope.”

Prashanth's remarks set the tone for the session titled ‘George Emanmarude Janamaithri Police Stationile Kuthum Comayum’, named after the corrupt inspector and villain ‘George Sir’ from Mohanlal’s ‘Thudarum’. The discussion explored how many such “George Sirs” operate within the Kerala Police and why they continue unchecked.

Responding to a question from the moderator and Manorama News journalist Shani Prabhakaran, Prasanth said rogue officers are well known within the system. “We have the names of such ‘George Sirs’. Senior officers know who cannot be deployed on field duty. There is even a High Court order against deploying such cops for field work,” he said. 

The session turned emotional when VS Sujith, Youth Congress leader and victim of the controversial Kunnamkulam police assault case, recalled the brutality he faced. “They dragged me shirtless into the station and assaulted me for 10 minutes, where CCTV surveillance was there. Then they took me to the upper floor and assaulted me again. When I asked for water, they didn’t give it. All this because I questioned their actions. Even one cop who personally knew me thrashed me brutally,” he said, almost in tears.

Indirectly referring to his own suspension, Prasanth drew a stark comparison. “In Sujith’s case, he was assaulted for questioning cops in a police station. If you question officers in the Secretariat, you will be suspended. The system behaves the same everywhere; it is intolerant and arrogant when questioned,” he said.

Prasanth said policing still carries a colonial hangover. “People think the government should control cops and that senior officers should control subordinates. But the government’s job is to rule as per the Constitution. Even if we have CCTV in stations, unless attitudes change, nothing will change,” he said. 

He also criticised the current idea of leadership. “Most leaders here want tit-for-tat and whataboutery. Leadership is not about low-angle videos with punchy background music posted on social media. Leadership should be compassionate. Leaders should have a vision and convey a message to bring change. When leaders say they are helpless after letting ‘George Sirs’ in the police force violate the Constitution and behave like criminals, I don’t buy that excuse,” he said. 

Environmental activist and advocate Harish Vasudevan talked about the politicisation of the top police post while referring to the issues in the department. “For the last 20 years, only officers who could read the Chief Minister’s mind and act according to his will have been selected as State Police Chiefs. If the government decides cops cannot assault people, it can be implemented. The Supreme Court ordered the formation of a State Security Commission, but it has not been implemented in Kerala,” he said. 

Former DGP A Hemachandran said that in his three decades of service, almost all Home Ministers wanted policing to favour their political interests, except when AK Antony held the Home portfolio. “Police have no right to assault anyone or use force unless it’s unlawful assembly, obstructing arrest or private defence,” he said.

On concerns that questioning wrongdoing by cops affects police morale, he was blunt. “If morale is something they lose after being questioned over their wrongs, it is better to lose it. When I dismissed people for crimes, it never affected the morale of the force. The real problem is when politics with vested interests converges with cops who have a reactive nature. Criminal cops are not dismissed, and sometimes they get promoted and even conferred an IPS rank,” he said. 

When asked about the controversy over ADGP Ajith Kumar’s secret visit to RSS leadership, Hemachandran said, “Whatever an officer does, it should be done with conviction. And he should be able to answer why he did it. The police are not meant to serve narrow political interests.”

Prasanth added that many officers drift into criminal nexus over time. “Many cops are good at the time of enrolment. But over the years, due to interaction with criminals, some have become more dangerous than they were. The ‘George Sirs’ often side with one criminal gang, act against the rival, or even sign up as mediators in civil settlements and take a commission. This is a dangerous trend,” he said. 

Sujith said all political parties, including the Congress, must ensure that injustice and brutality do not continue.

Wrapping up, Prasanth said society has only two ways to respond to police brutality. “Either be silent and get thrashed, or fight the injustice like Sujith did. There are many worse cases than Sujith’s that remain unknown. But if more people start responding, change will come. Sujith responded. I responded, even though I was suspended. But I am still alive. Sujith too is alive. So we need to question,” he said.