M. Bhuvaneshwaran of 1st Year B. Tech Biotechnology &
M. Umai Arasi- Faculty, English Department
OFFENSIVE DEFENCE
This
article is drafted when it impacted us a great deal on reading a News story about the police assault on a family in the
newspapers and later when it went viral on the social media. The following words are expressed to
bring awareness among the public. We hope our words may reach people.
A few pieces of
advice are worth considering here. Whither has gone the good old days of
patient hearing of one’s views and the custom of bringing the warring minds to
a negotiation table and resolving the differences of opinion fairly? If the
domestic dispute is fairly settled amidst the four walls of a sweet home, where
is the need for the police personnel to intervene in the mid street in an
offensive defence mode? Whither has gone the sense of fair judgement of the
Police force in matters of civilian disputes? All these memories brought forth
the image of a utopian world where ‘all is well’ as is visualized in the
following nursery rhyme:
POLICE OFFICER
I belong to
the police force
To me, any
crime, you may report
I catch
thieves and don’t let them flee
A police
officer is what they call me!

I patrol
your city, night and day,
Face many
dangers, come what may.
I may be a
woman or a man,
See me on
foot, or bike, or in a van.
In a uniform I’m usually dressed,
Be it north, south, east or west.
But in civil clothes I may move around,
To spot thugs hiding in the town!
I detect and
prevent crime,
Arrest
Lawbreakers
And charge
them a fine.
I help in
rescue operations,
And handle
critical situations!
Directing
traffic is one of my jobs,
Even when
I’m off dut y ,
I am i n
charge of your security!
I endure
very tough training,
I serve you
without complaining,
A
commissioner or a constable,
For your
safety, I am responsible!
[Lines from a nursery
rhyme heard & enjoyed on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3CPE-JIBco]
For most of the boys and girls who have been lulled into
sleep with such nursery rhymes and who, later during the toddler stage, have
taken pleasure in singing the nursery rhymes about great professions, have been
groomed into better children and they gradually evolve such noble visions of
every profession as stated above about a police officer’s profession.
The stiff, starched uniform of the police officer, his glossy
boots, the prestigious cap and the sparkling badge have, no doubt, captured the
childhood fancy of most of us. Their professional code is comprised of
vigilance, upright character with quick decision making skills, especially split-second
decision making calibre at critical situations and above all round-the-clock
service with better coordination in maintaining law and order.
But
sometimes lapses of behaviour may occur in their noble professional code too as is reported
in the news recently where three policemen were seen beating an auto driver,
Raja, who was reportedly seen slapping his
Offensive defence is not just a word; it’s the thing which
we are facing daily. There are many things happening around us. The things
which are shown in the media are not given importance after a few days. The
issues come like the migratory birds, because they arrive with a lot of
importance and it is noticed by everyone. After sometime they fade away as the
foot prints on a desert.
In case of our protection, we have to be brave enough. The
way of living and the way of tackling problems have to be known to ourselves . “We
have to help others". In our national pledge we say, "All
Indians are my brothers and sisters". But when they are
facing any problems, we are not helping them.
Policemen are
the ones who protect the people. But now- a-days this image is slowly fading
away. I don't know whether they are conscious of it or not. I am not seeing all
the policemen in this light but the activities of some influence every
policeman. I would like to say one incident which happened in the month of July
2016 in Thiruvannamalai.
Most of us were shocked
to see that video. Policemen who have the duty of protecting the public had
shown their power on a poor family in a public place. The three policemen had
repeatedly beaten the victim black and blue with lathi . The people who raised
their voice against them were also assaulted by policemen. Will it be
fine if any of our brother or father had been beaten up like this?
Is the activity of the policemen correct? If their activity
is wrong, what will be the punishment for them? The punishment, if given, may
be temporary but we need a permanent resolution for these kinds of activities.
Is the behaviour of the husband, in public, fair? Doesn’t his wife have a say in
the buying of jewellery ? Do such constraints as family budget crop up their heads
when it comes to a man’s say in buying things for himself or his family? Is the
public place, an ideal place, to debate one’s family issues and indulge in
domestic violence in public?
Who will ponder over A. G. Gardiner’s
words, “Liberty is not a personal affair, but a social contract,” that hold good
in all the contexts?
More of his words in his essay, “On the rules of the Road”,
“There are a lot of people in the world, and I have to accommodate my
liberty to their liberties.”
We wrap up this post with the memorable words from Sudha Murthy’s
compilation:
Life
is precious, even in the midst of a struggle. Those
[Dhrshti Dasgupta’s, ‘The Dhaka Girl’ in Something h ap p e ned on the way to Heaven Ed., Sudha Murthy. Haryana: Penguin Books India Pvt., Ltd, 2014.]
After all, life
is meant to be filled with hope, faith, kindness, joy and all that is positive
on the Earth.
Reference:
1. A. G. Gardiner, 'On the Rules of the Road'
2. The Hindu, d ated 12th July2016 for the news Story & the picture
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