‘Unrest’ has been defined in the dictionaries as ‘Discontent verging on insurrection’. Adopting this definition, we shall be dealing in this paper, the causes, efforts and possible solutions for dealing with the expression of discontent by large organised groups of policemen, where such actions have bordered on insurrection.

Expression of discontent by policemen is not a new phenomenon. Prior to 1979, there have been nearly a score of such incidents in the country. But what is new is that these incidents sprouted out over a large area of the country almost simultaneously creating a suspicion in the minds of police administrators whether trade union activists have taken hold of the police forces.

Looking into the past, the first police rebellion took place in Bihar in September, 1942. This was not for the redressal of any grievances but as a sequel, when the authorities took firm action against some policemen who went on a hunger strike in sympathy with the Fast undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi. Men resented the heavy hand with which the authorities came down on them and the agitation spread all over Bihar and in no time a charter of grievances was forthcoming. The revolt was put down with the help of the army and with the arrest and dismissal of the ring leaders.

In the second instance, way down in the South of India, in April, 1946, men of Malabar Special Police struck work demanding better working conditions. Army was used to put down this revolt and nearly thousand policemen were rounded up and dismissed from service. This was followed by agitations of policemen in Allahabad and Delhi. The revolt by Bihar Policemen in March, 1947 was a serious affair. The army had to open fire and a few policemen were killed. The strike continued for a few days and was withdrawn at the intervention of mahatma Gandhi.

In the post independence era, Madras Policemen led the way in 1953 with a widespread police strike which was put down with considerable effort. In February, 1955, Calcutta City Policemen came out of the examination halls in a procession, protesting against stiff question papers in the departmental promotion examination. This incident was tactfully handled by the authorities and the revolt did not spread. In November, 1957, Lucknow Policemen rose in revolt against the ill treatment meted out by superior police officers. This was also handled tactfully by the officials.

While all these agitations were isolated and spontaneous in nature, the revolt by Delhi police had all the trappings of an organised Trade _________ agitation. Nearly half of the Delhi Police __________ in March, 1967, flouting departmental orders, openly attended a meeting organised by the Delhi Police Non-Gazetted Karmachari Sangh. The agitation continued for a few days and was put down after the para military forces of the Central Government were called in and the entire police force was dis-armed. In addition, army was also called in and more than 700 policemen were arrested and over 40 discharged from service. The revolt was put down both by punitive measures and by the administration promptly taking certain remedial measures for redressal of genuine grievances. The next agitation which took place in West Bengal was due to the killing of a police constable by some workers of C.P.I.(M). The enraged policemen quickly organised themselves, took out a procession carrying the dead policeman’s body and stormed the Legislature Chambers to confront the then Chief Minister Jyothi Basu and to demand strict action against the party workers. Prompt action on the part of the authorities defused the situation.

The revolt of the Provincial Armed Constabulary of Uttar Pradesh in May, 1973 was so far the most serious incident. Discontent had been simmering among P.A.C.men for quite some time and a Rajya Police Karmachari Parishad was formed in 1973. Utilising the mobilisation of large forces during the frequent visits of the Prime Minister to the State, the Policemen were able to spread Trade Union activities among themselves and consolidate the hold of the Parishad over a large number of men. A charter of demands was drawn up which mainly consisted of betterment of service conditions. Frequent petitioning, refusal to obey the orders of the officers etc., were being reported from various battalions. In the mean time, on May, 20, a few P.A.C. men posted at Lucknow University took out a joint procession with student activists shouting ‘Student-PAC Bhai Bhai’ and demanding redressal of their grievances. The Government acted swiftly, called in the army and other para-military forces. At many places, resistance was offered by the P.A.C. men and armed combats continued for over four days in different districts. 34 were killed and 380 policemen were arrested.

In 1977, three incidents took place, two in Bihar and one in Uttar Pradesh. In the first of these incidents in early August, men of Bihar Armed Police went on a hunger strike to protest against the rude behaviour by a senior officer. The second incident took place in Uttar Pradesh on September, 4 and 5, when 70 policemen of Varanasi went on hunger strike and refused to perform their duties in protest against what they described as arbitrary arrests of their colleagues at the dictates of local Janata leaders. The third Police protest took place at Dhanbad over the beating of a Police Constable by a State Legislator.

The incidents of 1979 were sparked off by the revolt of Punjab Policemen over the alleged misbehaviour of a local politician with a police personnel. The revolt spread quickly to both Punjab and Haryana States and the State Governments were forced to announce in great hurry pay hike and other concessions to mollify the feelings of policemen. The same year witnessed serious revolts in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Para-military forces of the Central Government with the exception of B.S.F. were also affected by large scale indisciplined behaviour. The trouble is still simmering in many formations.

Basic causes of police unrest are:

1. Economic;
2. Social or Psychological;
3. Lack of proper machinery to ventilate grievances or constraints of communication;
4. Unimaginative leadership; and
5. Erosion of discipline due to political interference.

Ever since the inception of an organised police force in this country, the lot of policemen remained neglected and the powers concerned paid little or no attention to the welfare of the police forces. It was presumed by all, that policemen are all corrupt and that they would live off the land whatever be the wages paid tot hem. With the political awareness among the masses and rapid industrialisation of the country and India emerging as an industrial power from a feudal agricultural economy, all these factors made the disparity in the wages of policemen more glaring than it ever was. Policemen suddenly found that they were the lowliest of the lower strata of society with appalling conditions of work and severe service conditions with poor or no welfare measures etc. Even the few feeble attempts made by police administrators to set right the things met with rebuff from the civilian administrators who had a vested interest in keeping the police ‘in its place’. When this accumulated neglect erupted as a volcanoe of rebellion, authorities became panicky and announced series of concessions without any forethought for the future or the structure of the force. Though, it may appear to the uniformed that the lot of the constabulary has, of late, improved a great deal, unless immediate steps are taken to rationalise these from a long range point of view, before long, we will have another rebellion on our hands.

In an effort to placate the constabulary, the lot of the middle level officers like the Sub-Inspectors and Inspectors is being overlooked. This cadre of officers provide the immediate leadership to the constabulary and they come into day-to-day contact with the general public. Much of the ‘Police Image’ would depend upon the integrity, efficiency and loyalty of this cadre. There is widespread frustration in this cadre and this requires immediate attention of all concerned.

Man does not live by bread alone. While it is essential to remove the economic grievances, much of the frustration among policeman today is due to social and psychological factors. Policemen occupy a very low status in the society. He is looked down upon as a necessary social evil. he is mocked at, reviled, ridiculed and held responsible for all the failures of the administration. He is the target of attack of students, organised labour and politicians. He seldom receives praise from any one. In this hostile atmosphere, policemen’s psycho undergoes a sea change. From a normal human being, he becomes an automation devoid of finer human feelings, a sadist who is prepared to use force at the slight provocation to wreak vengeance on his tormentors. Many of the incidents of police excesses have their genesis in this psychological state of policemen. This state of mind also makes him rebel against established authority whenever he gets an opportunity. Therefore it is essential that concerted efforts are to be made by all concerned - politicians, society leaders, educationists, student and labour leaders - to make the image of a policeman a respectable one so that he receives sympathy and co-operation from the society in discharging his duties. The press can also help in objectively reporting the good points of policemen in addition to their failures. The authorities can also help in building up the image of the police by associating them with all good schemes.

Unlike the defence forces, policemen are spread out in penny packets over a vast area. Devoid of public sympathy and support and due to almost inhuman conditions of work, policemen are required to suffer in silence. There is no machinery through which they can bring to the notice of the concerned their personal problems. Their contacts with senior officers are few and far between. They are at the mercy of middle level officers who have no powers to take any remedial action. Further, the strait jacket of socalled discipline and departmental protocol, prevent the personnel from voicing their grievances to the higher authorities. Mere constitution of Staff Councils or Representative Councils would not solve this problem. Every policeman should have the right to bring to the notice of the head of the force his personal problems fro redressal. It should be made the personal responsibility of the superior officers to ensure that these problems are attended to with expedition and consideration.

This is the most important cause for the spread of unrest among the policemen. Police leadership has moved farther away from their men. Their naked greed for power and jockeying for positions and personal advancement in the force have left the men bewildered. Men, particularly those under arms, would respect a leader only if the has professional competency; capacity to lead and standby their men in times of stress and strain; who have the capacity to understand and solve their personal problems. Unfortunately, it is a sad truth that there are a few senior officers in the police force, who would measure up to the above test. men are not fools. They know the administrative limitations of their officers. What is needed is a warm and personal interest in the problems of the personnel by their senior officers and a sincere attempt to solve them. it is therefore imperative that superior officers of the force take concerted efforts to reestablish closer rapport with their men.

Unfortunately in this country, police are misused and the police machinery is often abused by politicians - both from the ruling party and by the opposition. Political parties try to exploit the petty grievances of police personnel and try to subvert the authority of the superior officers. They interfere daily in routine administrative matters like transfers and postings. They interfere in the daily performance of police duties and try to exploit them in their favour. When the personnel see that their departmental superiors have been reduced to the role of errand boys of the politicians, they lose their respect for them. This erodes the discipline. Therefore it is essential that the political parties should cry a halt to this trend.

While the ruling party should refrain from exploiting the police machinery for partisan ends, the opposition should also not exploit the difficult situations to score a point over the ruling party. In short, the police force should be kept above party politics.

Thus it will be seen that Police Unrest is the product of many causes. In order to solve this problem one cannot think of simplistic solutions. The problem will have to be tackled simultaneously on all fronts, so that the basic causes are removed together. Tackling one aspect of the problem, as is being done now, will not give any results. On the contrary, such an imperfect approach would throw up many more problems. It is felt that if concerted measures are taken to remove all the basic causes enumerated above and given the sincere desire to have an efficient and contented Police Force on the part of the administration and the police leadership, unrest among policemen would become a thing of the past.