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Rediff.com  » News » Team Anna targets Delhi cops; starts anti-bribe drive

Team Anna targets Delhi cops; starts anti-bribe drive

By Priyanka
September 29, 2011 10:22 IST
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It all started right across the main gates of the police station on Parliament Street. A group of not more than 30 people had gathered wearing 'I am Anna' caps, their hands held the Indian national flag tightly. The mission was to get the police officers at the police station sign an undertaking that read 'I will not accept bribe from any citizen of India nor will I allow anyone of my colleagues to accept bribes from anyone.'

As a person in black coat took center stage and addressed the crowd, which had now swelled to about 55 people, he said, "The Delhi high court has in its order in 2010 said that 90 per cent of the police personnel and civic bodies are corrupt. Thus, today on the eve of Shahid Bhagat Singh's birth anniversary, we would request the police personnel to sign this undertaking at the same place where Shahid Bhagat Singh was arrested. We cannot force them to sign it, hence are only requesting to do so."

The crowd comprised mainly of young volunteers and had grown to about 80 people by now; it surged towards the main gate of the police station across the road, all the while chanting vande mataram and nationalist slogans.

They entered through the main gate and reached an open area, which is surrounded by a visibly old double storey building, housing various police departments, on all sides. This entry caught the attention of all in the premises.

About 50-60 young constables, who had recently completed their training with Delhi Police stood there, awaiting the announcement of the list about their postings in police stations across the city. The list is hurriedly read out at one of the corners of the small ground.

Meanwhile, after a few minutes of commotion, the volunteers from India Against Corruption disperse from the ground and head towards different departments, to get police officers to sign on the say-no-to-bribe declaration. 

A few constables and a few others of the young Delhi Police recruits were among the first ones to sign on the declaration. They promised again, verbally, that they would never accept bribe and happily posed for the cameras, much to the delight of the volunteers.

But this moment of triumph was to be rather short-lived. The volunteers soon started facing resistance from officers who refused to sign the declaration.

"By whose authority can you ask me sign on a sheet of paper like this," asked a sub-inspector. "I am on-duty right now, and I cannot sign anything like this, come after my duty is over," he said.

The volunteers, a few at a time, tried to convince him for long and asked what resisted him from giving in writing something that was a part of his duty.

"I just cannot sign on papers such as this, there is a proper procedure to be followed. It was okay till the time Anna ji held his fast and many joined him, but the way you have adopted is incorrect. You cannot force me to do something that might jeopardise my job. I have my rights too." And he did not sign on the declaration till the end. 

As the volunteers went door-to-door, asking police officers to sign, many more refused.

One officer said, "What will happen after signing such a declaration. I have never accepted bribe in my life and never will, what is the meaning of signing it; the instinct of not accepting bribes has to be felt from within. If somebody wants to take a bribe, he will even after signing it. This has now become a numbers game and has lost its purpose."

Fellow police officers explained, "Ours is a very complicated department. We cannot sign papers like this; we don't even know what it might be used for." Others joined him and asked, "I want to know whether all these people who are protesting are clean themselves."

Majority of signatures were those of constables. Inspectors and sub-inspectors had refused to sign the paper. On one occasion, a few volunteers gathered around a SHO, trying to convince him to sign, but the he refused to budge even after repeated pleas.

The volunteers persisted and the SHO lost his cool and shouted at one of the volunteers saying, "I have my rights too, you can't force me to sign it."

The say-no-to-bribe campaign ended almost dramatically as the volunteers went to the additional deputy commissioner of the same police station to file a First Information Report against the SHO who, the volunteers said, had misbehaved with them.

A few minutes later, ACP Bhishnoyi H apologised to the volunteers. The volunteers dispersed and the campaign ended for the day. On the last count, 71 people had signed on the declaration.
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Priyanka in New Delhi
 
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