I don’t think so

Finally a price list. I wish all the other police departments in India would do that.

A rate card of sorts for services available illegally in police lock-ups has found its way into an official bulletin, leaving the West Bengal government red-faced.

Published on September 8, a write-up in the Kolkata Police Gazette claimed that an undertrial at the Sealdah court lock-up in Kolkata could have expensive liquor by paying Rs.200 or use a mobile phone by paying Rs.100 to police personnel.

If an undertrial wants to talk to an outsider, the rate is Rs.50, according to the published chart.

In a face-saving move, the state government on Monday censured city detective chief Gyanwant Singh for the “goof-up” in the Gazette and ordered an inquiry against those involved in the printing of the bulletin.

Earlier, the chief minister had sought explanation from Singh, who was also entrusted the task of carrying out the probe.

The inquiry would focus on the role of the head assistant to Singh, deputy commissioner (I) of the detective department, and the printer of the Gazette, Home Department sources said.

While the two are part of the staff of the Calcutta police directorate, they are not police personnel.

Meanwhile, acting police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarty noted in his report that Singh, the final authority in approving of write-ups for publication, was at fault.

Chakrabarty, however, added that the officer was hard-pressed for time because of the security arrangements that had to be made for the delimitation commission session held on September 8.

Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray said Singh would be “censured in writing”. “But apart from the admonition, the government will not take any action against him because of his good record.”

A truck driver apparently speeding away from bribe-hungry cops, mowed down a motorcyclist today in West Midnapore (WB), sparking mob violence that led to a youth’s death in police firing.

Around 8.30am, when Lakshmi Ari was riding down the Ramjivanpur bypass in Chandrakona on his motorbike, a paddy-laden truck crushed him. Fifty-year-old Lakshmi died on the spot.

“I saw the truck running at high speed and crushing the motorist while trying to avoid the policemen who had definitely targeted the driver to extort money. The policemen generally ask for money from drivers here,” said Samir Mondal, 40, who was in his betel leaf shop nearby.

Almost immediately, around 200 villagers gathered at the spot, about 120km from Calcutta, and started throwing stones at the truck. They then set the vehicle ablaze.

Not finding the driver, who had escaped, the mob turned on five policemen at the accident spot and started thrashing them.

All the while, Lakshmi’s bleeding body lay on the road.

The policemen, outnumbered and cornered, pleaded with the mob, saying they were only trying to stop polluting vehicles but their words fell on deaf ears.

Reinforcements from the Ramjivanpur outpost, about 1km from the trouble spot, rushed to the area but seeing the policemen, the mob turned more violent.

Some people in the crowd allegedly hurled bombs at the cops and began chasing them towards the police outpost.

The police first did a lathicharge. In retaliation, the rapidly swelling mob set five police vehicles ablaze, including the car of Ghatal sub-divisional officer Asoke Saha who had gone there with the reinforcements.

More bombs came flying at the cops in reply to which the police lobbed tear-gas shells and fired rubber bullets.

The crowd still continued to swell — by 2pm the villagers numbered around 2,000 — and chase them.

According to the police’s account, the force fired eight rounds. One bullet hit college student Soumen De, killing him on the spot.

Soumen, who hailed from Hooghly’s Arambagh, took the bullet in the head while he was throwing stones at the police.

After the firing, the mob scattered.

“At least 15 policemen were injured, four of them seriously, because of the bricks and bombs thrown by the mob. Two of them suffered head injuries, another fractured his leg. The force fired as it was our last resort in self-defence when everything else failed,” said West Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma.

SDO Saha also said the police opened fire in self-defence. “There could have been casualties had we not opened fire,” he said, adding that the mob was “violent right from the beginning”.

“The mob was only 200-strong at the beginning but swelled within hours. They chased our men towards the Ramjivanpur outpost and went on the rampage throwing bricks and bombs and setting ablaze our vehicles parked there one after another,” Saha said.

Basudeb Das, 50, a farmer who witnessed the violence, said: “The villagers who had set the killer truck ablaze would have dispersed had the police not brought in reinforcements. They got more aggressive when the police started the lathicharge.”

Fifteen people were arrested later in police raids.

Student rage

Over a hundred hotel management students went on the rampage in Durgapur this afternoon after a classmate died in a road accident.

Abhishek Roy, 22, a final-year student of hotel management at the NSHM Academy, was knocked down by a truck while he was coming to the institute on his bike. The truck hit him when he was taking a turn near the college in Arah, on the outskirts of the steel town.

College officials and police patrolling the area rushed him to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Students of the private institute blocked the Muchipara-Shibpur Road. They ransacked the truck and were about to set the vehicle on fire when policemen stopped them. The driver had fled.

The students also threw stones at the policemen, injuring three of them.

Durgapur circle inspector Sumit Chatterjee said: “We are going to start a case against the students on the charges of attacking policemen and ransacking the truck.”

The college authorities have declared a holiday on Monday to mourn the death of Abhishek.

He tried everything to get justice for his son. He pleaded to the police to take action but in return they asked him for Rs. 50, 000. So, in an effort to shake up the system and also scrounge for the bribe money, Jubaan, an incense stick seller whose six year old son was run over by a car, stood outside Karkardooma Court and begged for money.

The money he collected Rs 280 was then converted into a demand draft and sent to the Delhi Police commissioner.

Jubaan’s ordeal began last year in November when his son Jeetu was run over by a speeding car near the Jagatpuri Red Light in East Delhi. Eyewitnesses, which included a lawyer, took down the number of the car and gave it to Jubaan. He took it to the police. But they allegedly did not file a case despite the fact that the boy died the same day.

His lawyer Vivek Bhardwaj said, “He has been running from pillar to post for the last seven months. First the police did not register an FIR. He finally managed that in December last year. A case was registered at Anand Vihar Police Station. Even after he gave the police the registration number of the car, they did not take any action. Whenever he went to the police, he was beaten and then asked for Rs. 50, 000.”

On Wednesday, he sat with his family in front of Karkardooma Court and begged for alms from the people coming to the court. “He has never begged in his life but the police have made him do that as well. He just wants the person who is responsible for his son’s death behind bars. But in return they beat and humiliate him. People who read the poster in which he had told his story readily gave him the money.” On Wednesday, they went and made a demand draft and sent it to the Delhi Police Commissioner. In the covering letter they have asked him to give this money to the corrupt officers who would not help him out, as he could not cough up the money.

In a move that will shame corrupt babus and make ministries and government departments lose face for misdemeanours by their employees, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has started putting up on its website names of those officials against whom it has advised sanction for prosecution or imposition of penalty.

The first such list of officials, against whom the CVC has advised various actions for alleged corruption, include names of 258 officials, with the Ministries of Railways and Home, public sector banks, insurance companies, ONGC, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Delhi Development Authority and Municipal Corporation of Delhi leading the list of infamy.

The names have been put up by the CVC as part of its activities in July this year, making it imperative that it would put up such lists on the public domain every month, making life difficult for errant babus. In July, the Commission disposed off 522 cases referred to it for advice. Also, recoveries to the tune of Rs 90 lakh were effected after it conducted technical examination of some departments.

According to the data, during July itself, the CVC advised imposition of major penalty against 101 officers, including 17 from public sector banks, 16 from insurance companies, 13 from DDA, 11 each from ONGC and MCD, nine from Ministry of Railways, seven from Central Coalfields Ltd, five from Department of Coal, and two each from Department of Posts, CBDT and CBEC.

It also advised initiation of major penalty proceedings against 135 officers, which include 31 from public sector banks, 29 from Ministry of Railways, 13 from MCD, seven each from DDA, CBDT and FCI, five from CBEC, four each from Department of Telecommunications, Central Coalfields Ltd and Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, three from New Mangalore Port Trust, and two each from NHAI, ICAR, Department of Atomic Energy, and Ministry of External Affairs.

It also advised the administrative authorities of various ministries to launch prosecution against 22 officers, including seven each from CBDT and Ministry of Home Affairs and two each from Ministry of Environment & Forests and MCD.

During the month, competent administrative authorities issued sanctions for prosecution against 26 officers coming under CVC jurisdiction, imposed major penalty on 65 officers, and “stiff major penalty” was imposed on seven officers.

The list includes six senior officers of the rank of joint secretary or equivalent and above. The CVC sometime back instructed all the government departments to put in place a mechanism to ensure that all complaints received in by them against any of their employees being involved in alleged corruption, malpractices or misconduct would “necessarily” be sent to their respective central vigilance officer for scrutiny and action.
This measure is aimed at making it sure that no such complaint escapes scrutiny of the CVOs.

An Indian-American friend of mine was grumbling about
corruption in India, blaming it for the country’s slow
development and the reluctance of NRIs to invest in the
economy. “Everyone in India accepts bribes,” he complained.

I asked him about his sister in Bangalore. He said she’s
still waiting for her green card, though he sponsored her 15
years ago. “No one in America accepts bribes,” he
complained.

Of course, he was exaggerating — on both counts. Not
everyone in India accepts bribes. In fact, the National
Anti-Corruption Committee (NACC) has compiled a list of
government officials who have never accepted bribes and
hopes to give awards — perhaps even gold watches — to
both of them.

If you want to know the names of these honest officials,
just send a self-addressed stamped envelope to NACC — and
don’t forget to include a token of your appreciation,
preferably in the form of cash. The more you pay, the more
likely the response.

Truth be told, there are hundreds of millions of people who
have never accepted bribes. They are known as THE POOR.
Though they have little money, some have to pay off others
just to maintain their basic needs, such as a good spot on
the pavement.

Corruption, unfortunately, extends into every sphere of life
and is almost unavoidable. Money can get you just about
anything: a good job, a good education, a good Internet
connection.

From the lofty chief ministers to the lowly street sweepers,
everyone has a price. And being caught on tape accepting a
bribe won’t necessarily jeopardize your career, especially
if you can find someone else to bribe.

Even if you’ve just stuffed thousands of rupees into your
pockets, you can plead your innocence. “This is not a bribe.
This is a donation. I am a very honest person. As a wise man
once said, it pays to be honest.”

Yes, corruption is a serious problem, but despite what some
believe, India is not the most corrupt country in the world.
That distinction belongs to Bangladesh, which finished dead
last among 91 countries surveyed for the 2002 Corruption
Perceptions Index of Transparency International. India
ranked 71st, while Pakistan was 79th, allowing Indian
politicians to brag that they’re more honest than their
neighbors. “If you want to see real corruption, just cross
the border. Even husbands have to bribe wives just to have
children.”

Finland was the least corrupt country, while the U.S.
finished 16th. America was ranked high partly because its
politicians don’t accept bribes. They accept “campaign
contributions.”

Whether or not we want to admit it, some of us wish we could
get away with more “contributions” in America.

Immigration officer: “Welcome to America, Mr. Gopal. Do you
have a visa?”

Gopal: “No, sir, but I have a MasterCard. What can I buy for
you?”

Officer: “Just leave the card with me, Mr. Gopal. I like to
do my own shopping. It will save you some trouble.”

Gopal: “That is very kind of you, sir. And I’m sure you will
also be kind to the next 200 people in line. They are my
relatives. I’m sponsoring them – with that MasterCard.”