New Delhi: Around 49,000 complaints were received against policemen across the country in a year, but 60 percent of them were declared "false or unsubstantiated"
by investigators, according to latest government statistics.
Madhya Pradesh and Delhi have received the largest
number of complaints accounting for 50 percent of the total
48,939 cases in 2008.
According to the report prepared by National Crime
Records Bureau, Madhya Pradesh accounted for 35.8 per cent
(18,315) of total complaints followed by Delhi (6,031) and
Uttar Pradesh (6,015).
However, a whopping 14,306 or 78 per cent of the
complaints filed against policemen in Madhya Pradesh were
declared false or unsubstantiated. Fifty per cent (3007) of
cases filed against men in khaki in UP were declared bogus.
The corresponding figure for Delhi was a meagre 70.
"The total number of cases that were either not
substantiated or not found true was 29,577 which amounted to
60.4 percent of the total complaints reported," the report
said.
"There are incidents that complaints against policemen
are not investigated properly. But at the same time, there are
also cases in which a proper case is not built by
complainants," a senior Delhi Police official said.
According to the statistics, in Delhi, departmental
inquiry was constituted against 539 and cases were registered
against 93.
While disciplinary action was initiated against 1,185
personnel and 87 personnel were dismissed or removed from
service. Major punishments were awarded to 319 while minor
punishments were given to 919.
Across the country, the report said, a total of 879
personnel were either dismissed from service. The highest
dismissals were reported from Jammu and Kashmir (219) followed
by Punjab and UP.
The report also said 253 cases of human rights
violation by police were reported during 2008. Fourteen
policemen were chargesheeted and eight of them convicted.
PTI
