The shocking attack on an actor in a moving car has turned the spotlight on the increasing menace of thugs available for any mean tasks in Kerala. Three months after the formation of a crack team to put down organized crime in the state, goons continue to have a free run. The police and politicians are responsible.
The Kerala Police are in an unenviable situation. A movie actor’s complaint that she was molested in a moving car on the way to Kochi has come as a slap on the face of the men in charge of law and order.
The attack has given the force an opportunity for reality check. Whatever happened to the special law brought in to deal with goons? Where is the anti-goon squad formed by director general of police Loknath Behera?
Behera formed the crack team after reports of goon attacks poured in from all parts of the state, especially Kochi where even a CPM leader was accused of extortion and abduction. P. Prakash, the principal of the Police Training College at Thycaud in Thiruvananthapuram, was picked to lead the squad.
The police chief was so serious about the plan to suppress organized crime that he cherrypicked a sub inspector and 10 policemen from each of the 19 police districts in the state. They were sent for a training session at the training college in November.
The team had an ambitious action plan: All goons would be nabbed within two months.
Members of the squad were given special training to track mobile numbers of known offenders. They returned to their bases across the state all excited about the mission. However, they were in for a long wait.
The inspectors in charge of anti-goon activities in the police districts are still waiting for the green signal to launch the hunt for the criminals. So they go on with mundane tasks like intercepting motorcycle riders who refuse to wear helmets.
Who is responsible for this holding back? Evidently the goons are still on the prowl and the squad is ever more relevant.
Hall of shame
The state government reacted to the recent swelling of public anger by ordering the arrest of all goons in the state under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. The director general of police has scooped out an old list of goons from the police intelligence file and sent it to all police commissioners and superintendents of police.
The list of 2,010 goons prepared four months ago has become a butt of jokes. Most of the criminals featured on the list have just come out after serving six moths of jail under the Act. Many others are still in jail.
The list is an example of the hogwash measures the police resort to when they are shamed by blatant criminal activities right under their nose.
It is no secret that many of the goons and other criminals enjoy political patronage in Kerala. Many of them may be known sympathizers of political parties.
The unholy nexus makes a crackdown on organized crime all the more difficult. The signals from the top are not at all encouraging.
In his first meeting with police officers after taking oath as the chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan had a piece of advice for the cops. “This government will not tolerate the imposition of the Goons Act on politicians. Such incidents happened a lot during the previous government’s tenure. Anything like that will invite strict disciplinary measures against the officers responsible to it,” the chief minister told district collectors and superintendents of police.
Definitely not a morale booster, coming from the chief minister in charge of the Home Department.
Last resort
The police officers were left wondering whether any of the goons operated without apparent political patronage. They were, however, forced to act when an alarming rate of crimes sparked a public outrage. The police revived the hunt for goons after murders and sexual offenses increased. Even a CPM area secretary from Kalamassery found himself a fugitive.
Another non-so-veiled signal followed in the form of a transfer order for Ernakulam Range inspector general S. Sreejith. Not surprisingly, the anti-goon drive fizzled out after the transfer. Even if a police commissioner or superintendent of police dared to put together a list of criminals to watch out for, the district collector would develop cold feet and refuse to sign an order for preventive detention.
At least 200 recommendations for preventive detention are pending with the district collectors. So what purpose does a new list serve, the officers wonder.
Lenient state
The Left Democratic Front government marked the 60th anniversary of the state’s creation in early November with an order to commute the sentence of 1,850 convicts including hired goons. Prisoners convicted for murder, treason and offenses against women and children cannot expect to get their sentences commuted.
Governor P Sathasivam, however, sent back the recommendations of the state government seeking more clarifications and a copy of the judgements convicting each of the 1,850 persons.
Who were the folks disappointed by the governor? Kodi Suni, Muhammed Shafi, Kirmani Manoj, Rajeesh and the others convicted in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case were a few of them.
Others included Muhammed Nisham, the businessman who killed a security guard in Thrissur in a fit of rage, Shaji, a former deputy superintendent of police convicted in an attempt-to-murder case, and Kari Satheesh, a hired goon convicted of killing Paul Muthoot.
The list also featured 16 prisoners who were members of the ruling CPM and 12 prisoners who were BJP members.
Hand in glove
The goons are also enjoying support from errant police officers. The special branch of police had reported that officers in ranks not lower than deputy superintendent of police were found colluding with organized criminals.
Lower rungs of the force are more prone to this unholy nexus. There were a handful of inspectors who hung out with the criminals they were supposed to keep a tab on.
Curiously, the government put them on law and order duties rather than taking them to task. Their political loyalty has paid.
They do not care a hoot about rule of law or orders from their superior officers as long as they are assured of protection from their political masters.
