Vijay K.Saluja
Senior Fellow[urban studies] Institute of Social Sciences
& ex Chief Engineer[civil],New Delhi Municipal Council
e-mail: salujavijay@hotmail.com
The murder of the IPS officer Narendra Kumar Singh on Eight March,2012, the day Holi was being celebrated in the country is again a stark reminder that the conscientious ,committed, honest & upright officers in the Govt of India, are not safe while performing their duties as per the oath taken by them at the time of their induction/passing out ceremonies.If this trend of elimination of upright officers continues then, more horrendous times in our country are not very far away?! If the legal protectors & policy makers of the country are not safe then who will protect the citizens in the days to come??
Already,over the years since our independence,the breed of committed & honest officers in the Govt is becoming scarce. This has been highlighted by number of studies & press reports.
In the given scenario,how many bright youth will be drawn to the elite Central & State services,is a matter of conjecture but the present ground realities in India indicate that the sizable percentage of bright ones are drawn towards Private sector.!
It is also a fact that over the years scams nay mega scams in our various Govt deals are surfacing with more frequency.There have also been reports about many senior Govt officials, possessing disproportionate wealth beyond their legal means.
Coming back to the grisly murder of the young officer,it is also saddening to note as reported by the dailies & TV reports that the said murder has triggered political rows?!Statements & counter statements are being made by the representatives of the leading political parties about the involvement of influential persons in this sad episode & also about the dithering etc in ordering the judicial enquiry into Singh`s death.
Which Wing of the Government is looking into the ,tragedy & trauma of his young IAS wife & ordeal of the his family The sorrowing picture of Madhurani his wife during his cremation is heart rending & shocking!Is this the moment for which she studied so hard,got into IAS & married the young IPS officer who according to his colleagues was very committed & passionate about his duties?What about the aspirations & hopes of her parents,the parents of Mr Singh & their extended families?
How will all of their pass their lives?what about the young pregnant IAS wife?What about her emotional, mental & psychological scars? Who will give the `baby to born` his father?
This is not the first of the case!The press reports say that attacks on policemen have become the order of the day in the state where this tragedy occurred.In the last year alone,65 policemen including 20IPS& IAS officers sustained serious injuries in such type of attacks!National Crime Records Bureau[NRCB] has complete records for all the States of India.
When will our governance be caring , responsive & responsible?
When will the representatives of political parties give full support to the honest officers of the System, instead of converting every case of human tragedy like this into political tug of war.to score brownie points,as per their perception? Can the leaders of the parties discipline their spokespersons?
When will the Prime Minister speak up & take a firm stand for bringing the culprits to book & justice to the affected bereaved families?
The Media need to find out out answers to these questions, for survival of India & its citizens & sustainable remedy to stop these type of monumental human tragedies.
IPS Association & IAS Association need to ensure that the affected wife/ family gets justice[exemplary punishment to the involved persons] & suitable compensation, in a given time frame. This is an urgent matter for their honorable sustainability.
