Better coordination now with CM as home minister: DGP Praveen Dixit

Zeeshan Shaikh: With the BJP in power, has there been any change in issues, especially those concerning communal tensions?

It is not that things are happening now and didn’t happen earlier. Mostly, tensions spark because of rumors. However, in the last few months, you would have seen that things are not going out of control. They are better controlled also because of the concept of Police Mitra, where we are asking every police station to have at least 400-500 local persons from various communities to enroll themselves. The response has been tremendous. We have got about 1.4 lakh people working with the police, doing patrolling duties, joining police parties while serving summons.

Sandeep Ashar: There was a proposal that for a preliminary enquiry in ACB cases, government sanction is not required. The chief minister has not sanctioned the proposal. Does this worry you?

The government is very firm and absolutely straight about it. Whoever has done any mischief, whoever has done any crime, action would be taken. In preliminary enquiries, there are two things — the criminal and the administrative part. Like in the case of the ‘chikki scam’ concerning BJP MLA Pankaja Munde, let the department concerned first conclude whether she has done anything wrong, then the ACB can act.

Otherwise what happens is that as an ACB chief I might register a case but the department will just wash their hands of the incident. Like they tried to do in the case against NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal. The PWD would say that whatever land was given by Bhujbal was correct and that there was no scam in it. Let the department come and take a stand.

Shubhangi Khapre: What are the challenges for the police force?

The most important aspect is we have to go for a cashless society. Cash continues to be one of the fundamental reasons for various problems. In Sweden, there is an instance of a robbery in a bank where the robbers came out as there was no cash in the bank. That is the need of the time. All these instances of body attacks are where money is being carried. The second important thing is that anonymity (behind every individual) has to be removed. The first step is Aadhaar card. In countries abroad, you have to have your social identity card or identity card always. Here too, an identity card needs to be carried.

These social media tools and WhatsApp groups will also help. The other day I asked a group of doctors to form a group with the police and asked them to share daily attacks they face for a faster response. We are asking senior citizens, traders et al to go for smartphones at the earliest. If you use a device, you can reach police faster and we can reach you faster.

Tabassum Barnagarwala: What is your take on dance bars and the women not getting their jobs back?

There is a dance bar lobby and they are the ones who want to exploit women. The government has enacted a legislation and it has said in ample terms what it wants to do. I subscribe to the view taken unanimously by the legislature.

Mohamed Thaver: Do you think there is an increase in custodial deaths?

Custodial deaths are investigated by CID and their investigation shows not more than 5 per cent (deaths) are due to the police. Ninety-five per cent are due to shock he has received or blood pressure, or he himself was drinking or was an addict. I myself have worked in the human rights commission. I can say from having sat in that seat that we found most of these cases were frivolous or most of these cases were cooked up and brought in by vested interests. You should always look into details of the death. To probe them is a painstaking job and you have to do it before you come to a conclusion.