KATHMANDU: The series of news revelations about the involvement of the senior police officials in criminal activities have put the name and fame of the organization itself at stake.
A few days back, a video clip showing a police officer cudgeling a woman who was carrying a child with her became viral.
The organization is being criticized badly for the shameful and unjustifiable deed of the police officer.
The above is the case of use of lack of rationality in the police officers, there are more cases of their involvement in criminal activities.
33 kg gold smuggling, Nirmala rape, and murder case and the battering the woman carrying a child are three different representative cases which show the loosening sense of accountability, morality, rationality in the police organization as a whole. There are allegations related to blackmailing the victims and or criminals of suing them provided they do not pay them the money on a regular basis.
CIAA arrested Raj Kumar Yadav, a police constable in Regional Police Office Sukhipur Siraha on Feb 19 and sued him to the Special Court and also claim 5000 rupees back from him. He was arrested while still taking bribe.
Former AIG Jaya Bahadur Chand regards it regretful that the personnel sworn to office with the promise of putting the nation, nationality and the duty towards them first are lately tempted by the easy money.
Few days before on Feb 16, Umesh KC a sub-inspector at Metropolitan Crime Division was arrested in bribe charge. CIAA sued him seeking 6 million rupees he has earned through bribery.
The anti-graft body had sued Inspector Jaya Nepal Thapa of Metropolitan Crime Division on Jan 5, seeking 40,000 rupees he had taken in bribe.
On Dec. 22, 2019, Ram Kumar Shah an inspector stationed at District Police Office Sarlahi was sued claiming 90,000 back from him.
Above are few more representative cases which reveal that the web of corruption spans from constable to senior officers.
In the last 3 months, CIAA has filed bribery cases against 12 police personnel.
CIAA data shows that the anti-graft body has nabbed and sued 23 policemen in the last 8 months.
When do the police go for bribery?
Experts in the security force opine that most of the evil intent policemen go for bribery assuring arbitration in the culprit’s favor.
Keshav Adhikari, former DIG of Police says.
“The only occasion when the police can go for bribe is promising arbitration in their favor,” he says, “it’s found that they take bribe promising to maintain mum in some crimes whereas in others they promise to influence arbitration or even the case in the bribe giver’s favor.
According to CIAA, the Metropolitan Crime Division’s Inspector Jaya Nepal Thapa taken 40,000 rupees from the party of fraud promising to give it to the lawyer and influence case in favor. CIAA filed a case against him on Jan.5.
Similarly, Inspector Ram Kumar Shah who was arrested from Sarlahi had also accepted bribe promising to silence and dismiss the case. He was nabbed with 90,000 bribed money.
Similarly, the charge sheet against Sub-Inspector Umesh KC shows that he had taken the kickback promising to change the version of the victim of a rape case.
In 2018/19 more than 1800 police personnel had been nabbed in various offenses. The number was higher in 2017/18 as 2265 police had to face action for various types of wrongdoings.
Former AIG Jaya Bahadur Chand regards it regretful that the personnel sworn to office with the promise of putting the nation, nationality and the duty towards them first are lately tempted by the easy money.
“ The police personnel sworn in for putting nation and the service to nation seem tempted by easy money,” Former AIG Chand says, “It’s regrettable that this trend of piling up money by hook or crook has defamed the organization and provoked the instances of criminal activities in the society.”
More than 2 thousand involved in a year
The data at the Police Headquarter show that more than 11000 police are booked for involvement in criminal activities in the past 5 years.
According to SSP Umesh Raj Joshi, the joint spokesperson of Nepal Police, those brought under criminal books are the ones involved in the cases like rape, drug smuggling, gold smuggling, financial irregularities, theft and so on.
Involved in the cases include the rank from Followers in the lowest to Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in the highest.
In the first 7 months of the current fiscal year i.e. Jul. 17- Feb 12 more than 1300 police employees are booked in various criminal records.
In 2018/19 more than 1800 police personnel had been nabbed in various offenses. The number was higher in 2017/18 as 2265 police had to face action for various types of wrongdoings.
The police facing allegations of involvement in various types of unlawful activities were 1381 in 2016/17, 1694 in 2015/16 and 2371 in 2014/15 respectively.
Such data show that, on average, more than 2100 police are involved in various criminal activities every year.
In the meantime, on average, 300 police have to sleaze around the bar every year.
It is deemed an upsetting gesture for the police which is assigned to probe crime allegations and ensure peace and security in the society.
It is unfortunate not only for the institution but for the nation as a whole that the security institution itself is declining its fame through such misdemeanors and crimes.