Sunday Times 2
Police can arrest law-breaking MPs
In any democratic society, parliament is considered as the supreme legislature which formulates policies, rules and regulations for the betterment of the people. Parliamentarians are elected periodically by the people. It appears that voters are not diligent when they use their franchise to elect their representatives. They rarely take into consideration the candidates’ educational and professional qualifications, and cast their votes based on their personal preferences and benefits to be accrued, rather than the interest of the country and the people at large.
Police need not wait for a complaint to act when it is evident that parliamentarians resort to violence in the House
Parliamentarians are expected to maintain the highest degree of decorum and decency and required to be law abiding. The country recently saw how its lawmakers became law-breakers and behaved worse than street rowdies. In a newspaper article, a religious personality said “such rowdy conduct should be rejected by all” and advised against children watching parliamentary proceedings. Several citizens have condemned the reprehensive behaviour of the members of parliament, especially on November 14, when the lawmakers indulged in criminal acts, as was seen live on television by millions of people.
The Police need not wait till complaints are made to act, especially when they have sufficient evidence by way of video clips. Some members were seen brandishing knives, some were seen damaging government property and some were seen hurling dangerous objects at policemen, the parliament staff and the Speaker. In fact, there were reports that there was a plan to throw acid on the Speaker.
Millions of viewers also saw how a posse of policemen walked into the Parliament chamber on being requested by the Speaker. They were very well disciplined and carried no batons or weapons. They escorted the Speaker into the Chamber. Several MPs threw missiles at the police officers. One MP was seen slapping a policeman. Some liquid solution, which is said to have been water mixed with chilli powder, was thrown at the policemen. The police officers endured the insults, assaults and chilli water attack and kept their cool. Some of the police officers had to be medically treated after the incident. We should commend the conduct of the police officers in the face of the MPs’ attack for not reacting though they were highly provoked and obstructed from performing their duties.
The law enforcement authorities should investigate these incidents without waiting for complaints, apprehend the culprits and bring them before a court of law, as they cannot be let free after having committed criminal acts. The law enforcement authorities should implement the law, irrespective of whether the culprits were Members of Parliament or whether they belonged to any political party. The people are watching the law enforcement officers as to what action they will take against such law-breaking law makers.
(The writer is a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police)