The Laxman Rekha
EDITORIAL
PAKISTAN is one of the most popular metaphors for despotism, and Mr Atanasio
Monserrates use of the metaphor for Goa may be far too outstretched and purely
rhetorical, yet it does seem that some of the policemen crossed the boundaries
that are drawn by the law not just for ordinary citizens but also for the
enforcers of law in dealing with the situation at the Panaji police station on
Tuesday and thereafter. In reality, what happened was revenge. The mob showered
stones at policepersons posted at the Panaji police station for a long time,
causing bleeding injuries to more than 30 of them, many of them women, and
shattering glasspanes of cabins inside the police station. Police resorted to
teargas and lathi charge and would have still remained within the confines of
law if they had stopped at that.
But they decided on a revenge. Of course, you have to look at it another way,
too. Police and police stations represent the State that Invisible Power that
exists to maintain law and order and any attack of the scale and kind that
took place at the Panaji police station on Tuesday would be seen as an attack
on the State. The State seemed to have lost its authority before an agitated
mob bent on wantonly and freely attacking the police station. The State had to
subdue the mob in order to re-establish its authority.
In short, the policepersons who went berserk after suffering the mob attack
for a long time represented not only their vengeful fury against the attackers
but also the State that had decided to re-establish its authority. We do not
know which minister or superior police officer directed the policepersons who
went after the mob and their leaders; nor is it important in seeing it very
clearly that the State was behind the policepersons.
And we need to note that both the State and policepersons went overboard and
crossed the boundaries of law in some respects. Although it is difficult to say
in such situations whether the mob would have melted away and the situation
would have become calm on its own with the agitated supporters of Mr Monserrate
dispersing all by themselves. The attack on policepersons was brutal and
barbaric, and Mr Monserrates supporters would have loved to inflict injuries
to more policepersons had not the lathi charge and teargassing begun.
Yet, what the policepersons did after that could only be termed as unlawful,
excessive and unwarranted. At the Miramar bungalow of Mr Monserrate, all things
were shattered and smashed, which could not be justified on any grounds. Mr
Monserrate and his wife, Ms Jennifer were beaten up in custody at the police
station, which also cannot be justified under any law.
Many of the MLAs, both from the ruling as well as opposition camp, have
protested against the police ill-treatment of an MLA. Such protests may
amount to suggesting that MLAs never be ill-treated by police, which would be
tantamount to demanding a special immunity for MLAs and not bothering whether
such immunity is available to ordinary citizens too. The truth is, MLA or
non-MLA, the law does not permit police to torture or beat anybody in custody.
So, in that sense, we have to condemn the beating of Mr Monserrate, because we
do not want beating of anybody in lockup by police. It is plainly contrary to
norms of justice, which is based on the principle that a person is innocent
until proven guilty in a court of law.
So, even if policepersons saw Mr Monserrate lead and incite the mob to shower
stones at them (attempting to murder them), they had to arrest and charge and
prosecute him in a court of law and prove that he did it and get him punished
for that. Policemen cannot assume the role of judges. They cannot usurp the
powers of judiciary. At the same time, Mr Monserrate and his apologists have to
understand that they cannot assume of the role of policemen. They cannot usurp
the powers of the executive.
(The Navhind Times)
- Forwarded by www.goa-world.com
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