On 24-Apr-06, at 2:25 PM, Deepa Mohan wrote:
To me, all such perversion of the power vested in the police is a manifestation of what I call the British Raj syndrome. We have learnt how to behave when we are in power, from the British, and try to harass and trouble those whom we have power over. We observe the letter of the law, not its spirit.
I'm not so inclined to believe this is a British Raj hangover. Positions of power everywhere are subject to abuse without a system of checks and balances.
I recall another older friend telling me Bangalore cops used to be far more abusive, but have sobered down given the number of people now aware of and willing to assert their rights. Standing up to a cop, however, is not adequate substitute for being able to report one and have the case followed up.
-- Kiran Jonnalagadda http://www.pobox.com/~jace
