Human rights group slams India's brutal police system

The Indian government should take concrete steps to overhaul the policing system that has been for decades facilitating human rights violations, says a leading international human rights group.

In its 118-page report, "Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse and Impunity in the Indian Police," the New York-based Human Rights Watch, documented a range of human rights violations committed by police, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and extrajudicial killings.

Based on interviews with more than 80 police officers and 60 victims of police abuses, the report, remarks the failings of "state police forces that operate outside the law, lack sufficient ethical and professional standards, are overstretched and outmatched by criminal elements, and unable to cope with increasing demands and public expectations."

"India is modernizing rapidly, but the police continue to use their old methods: abuse and threats," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "It's time for the government to stop talking about reform and fix the system."

Many police officers interviewed by the HRW believes that unlawful methods, including illegal detention and torture, were necessary tactics of crime investigation and law enforcement.

The newly-elected government had promised to pursue police reforms actively. HRW says a critical step is to ensure that police officers who commit human rights violations, regardless of rank, will face appropriate punishment.

"Police who commit or order torture and other abuses need to be treated as the criminals they are," said Adams. "There shouldn't be one standard for police who violate the law and another for average citizens."

It described the case of a woman suspect who was killed in custody and her killing was made appear as suicide. She was found hanging from a tree, the report said.

HRW does not completely blame the police for the escalating violation of human rights. It notes that while not excusing abuses, abysmal conditions for police officers contribute to violations.

"Low-ranking officers often work in difficult conditions. They are required to be on-call 24 hours a day, every day," it said. "They often lack necessary equipment, including vehicles, mobile phones, investigative tools and even paper on which to record complaints and make notes."

Adam underlines the need for a paradigm shift, specially in the conditions and incentives of police officers.

"Officers should not be put into a position where they think they have to turn to abuse to meet superiors' demands, or obey orders to abuse. Instead they should be given the resources, training, equipment, and encouragement to act professionally and ethically," says Adam.

He continues that India's status as the world's largest democracy is undermined by a police force that thinks it is above the law.

"It's a vicious cycle. Indians avoid contact with the police out of fear. So crimes go unreported and unpunished, and the police can't get the cooperation they need from the public to prevent and solve crimes."

The Human Rights Watch has enumerated its recommendations to the Indian government: require police to read suspects their rights upon arrest or any detention; exclude from court any evidence police obtain by using torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in suspect interrogations; bolster independent investigations into complaints of police abuse and misconduct through national and state human rights commissions and police complaints authorities.

In addition, it wants the government to improve training and equipment, including strengthening the crime-investigation curriculum at police academies, training low-ranking officers to assist in crime investigations, and providing basic forensic equipment to every police officer.