Coroner Ahmad Bache found that the police had acted unlawfully, negligently and inhumanely in not giving medicines and medical attention to Chandran whilst he was in police detention, resulting in his death.
This is a most damning indictment against the police, something which both the IGP and Home Ministry should be ashamed of.
As leader of the force, he has failed to ensure that people are safe in police custody. He has failed to see to it that there are no more deaths despite the fact that so many people have become victims and so much has been said about it in the last few years.
Efforts to introduce the IPCMC have failed. The introduction of new measures such as the installation of CCTV’s to oversee what happens in police stations also do not seem to have worked. In fact, the coroner in this case observed that whilst the CCTV showed Chandran somewhat lifeless for almost 12 hours, “there could be better supervision of the police cell by the patroller and those manning the CCTV screens”.
It is obvious that there is an attitude problem here. We seem to have officers who despite all else, just do not have the sense nor conscience to deal with people in their custody humanely.
I am of the considered view that if we are to fix the problem and rid ourselves of it altogether, we must make these officers and their immediate superiors strictly accountable. To do this, we must instill within them the fear of stern punishment and civil liability in the event incidents like these occur under their watch.
I have in the past suggested that laws be enacted in order to make officers in charge of police stations and investigating officers liable criminally for hurt caused and deaths in their custody. I have also suggested that laws be enacted to make the government and these officers automatically liable in civil actions for injuries and deaths in their custody, subject of course to their ability to show that they had taken all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of the detainees.
This, to my mind may be the only way to solve the problem.
I call upon the IGP to state if he is prepared to support such a proposal. If he isn’t, I call upon him to state what steps will be taken in order to ensure that we stop further deaths in police custody.
A good start would be for him to acknowledge responsibility and to state what immediate action will be taken against those officers liable in the case of P. Chandran itself.