‘Police are anti-people’ is the image etched indelibly in the minds of the people of India. Police baiting has become our national pastime . The common belief is that if one approaches the police for help, his problems are likely to get more aggravated than solved. In this scenario, it would surprise many to know that there is a Police force in India which is not only popular with the people but is welcomed with open hands by those in distress and in need of help and assistance during communal disturbances.

The ten thousand strong Rapid Action Force, which is administratively a part of the Central Reserve Police Force, has by its dedication , good work and noble deeds ,has earned the sobriquet-’Harbingers of Communal Harmony’. The success story of this Force is worth a study by all those in authority particularly by the Chiefs of Police.

Right from the stage of the evolution of the idea till its operationalisation in raising the Force, meticulous planning of all details was undertaken . Personnel were carefully screened and selected specifically for the tasks expected of them. Deployment was methodical and deliberate. Results of all operations were carefully monitored, analysed and the procedures and practices were modified where necessary to yield better performance to achieve the organisational goals. Finally, a forward looking leadership strove for excellence. All these factors cumulatively brought about this miracle-of public acceptance and approbation.

Communal disturbances erupt like volcanoes. They give adequate advance warning signals to enable us to take precautionary measures. When these signs are ignored they result in vast human suffering both in lives and properties. Communal disturbances leave permanent scars on the social fabric. Groups who are few in number, the minorities, suffer the maximum damage. Handling communal disturbances as a law and order problem by the police , ignoring the psychological dimensions , has ,in the past given scope for many complaints like; Police partiality and bias in favour of the majority, excessive and mala fide use of force against the minorities, lack of adequate fire fighting and medical facilities, and failure to provide relief and assistance in time and to the needy.

To remove these oft repeated complaints and to instil confidence in the minds of the minorities, the Government of India , decided to set up a special force to deal with communal disturbances. Since C.R.P.F. had the expertise in handling serious law and order problem in the last five decades, it was decided to keep this new Force under its administrative control. While constituting this Force, great stress was laid on selecting the personnel. They are to be mature, well educated, and free from any communal or caste bias . They were subjected to psychological screening to detect personality distortions. During training, they were taught to view all people as equal and those inhabiting the communally disturbed areas as the victims of circumstances beyond their control and not all as criminals who had engineered the trouble. Force was to be eschewed as the first option and when resorted to, it should be on the principles of proportionality and operational necessity. They were indoctrinated with ideals of secularism, principles of Human Rights and the need to treat all with sympathy and compassion. Middle and Senior level officers are put through special courses by social scientists and psychologists of IGNOU and the NICFS. Whatever could be of assistance to a riot victim , like First Aid, Rescue and Resuscitation, Emergency evacuation etc. were compulsorily taught to all. The weaponry of R.A.F were chosen not to cause fatalities but immobilise people. To deal with women victims, all units of the Force has a Women contingent. They assist in searches, escort and handling of women and children.

While on duty in riot affected areas, the R.A.F. deals with maintenance of order, putting out fires, neutralising explosive devices, render first aid to the victims and run relief centres till local administration steps in. In normal times, it familiarises with the riot prone areas and undertakes socially productive work to win the confidence of the people. It has won the acclaim of the people in very difficult and sensitive situations-to cite a few, Urdu Bulletin agitation in Bangalore, Idgah Maidan problem in Hubli, Moradabad and Aligarh communal riots, Janmashtami Vishnu Maha Yaga in Mathura and the Gyanvapi Mosque agitation and the Jalabhishek in Varanasi. It was part of the U.N. Peace keeping operations in Haiti and won laurels. It has distinguished itself in sports also.

R.A.F. is located in nine communally hyper sensitive places and with the provision of fast moving vehicles is in a position to reach the trouble spots in quick time. Their special blue uniform signifies peace and people have come to treat R.A.F. differently from the Police. It has a performance evaluation cell constantly engaged in research.

For a vast country like India , prone to communal disturbances there is need to increase the strength of this Force at least by another six thousand and the Mahila component should be at least thirty percent of the total strength. It should be given a dedicated communication net work and on par with N.S.G. have dedicated Air Transport. It is high time it had a Training Centre of its own. It will be a good idea to post young I.A.S. officers in this Force to get a practical experience of handling communal situations. With a little imagination ,this Force could be made to fill the void crated by the absence of a National Disaster Relief Organisation. Now that more than four years have elapsed since this Force was constituted, it is time a Review by competent professionals are undertaken to workout a perspective plan for the next ten years.

The success story of R.A.F. has a lesson for other Police Forces in the country - if you render dedicated service , people will support you. It is left to the present day Police leadership to reorganise their Forces to make them people friendly,. This cannot be achieved through public relations gimmicks but only by dedicated service to the people.

(the author is a former Director General of C. R.P.F. and N.S.G.)

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