Our Police Force Needs to Be Sensitised. Now UP Cops Make Children Fish Out Body from Canal

The police, not only in India but worldwide, have shown recently that they lack humanity. The killing of George Flyod in Minneapolis, the deaths of Jayraj and Bennicks in custody in Tamil Nadu or the hard-heartedness with which the lockdown has been implemented in certain parts of the country are testament to that fact. These recent events have raised a much-needed debate around police brutality, excesses, and the need to sensitise the forces. In another such incident of apathy, policemen in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr made a group of children fish out a body floating in a canal.

A UP police sub-inspector and constable stand and watch as minor children fish out an unidentified dead body from a canal in UP’s Bulandshahar district. SSP Bulandshahr has shunted both cops to police lines. pic.twitter.com/W12Np39BCV

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) July 2, 2020

According to PTI, a person informed the police about spotting an unidentified body in the Walipur-Gang canal. A sub-inspector and a constable from the Kotwali police station soon reached the spot. They noticed that a body was stuck near a culvert. In the video, we can see two cops standing with an unidentified man and merely watching as the kids try to pull out a body from the canal with the help of a long stick.

In UP, cops stand and watch kids fish out dead body from canal; suspended: watch video https://t.co/3xLpYeUiGN

— The Tribune (@thetribunechd) July 2, 2020

The two policemen have been removed from duty. “Certainly, this behaviour of the policemen was not good and impacts the image of the entire department. The children seen in the video are minors and their help should not have been taken in this kind of work. Hence, Sub-inspector Ram Naresh and Constable Mahabir have been transferred to the police lines with immediate effect,” said Senior Superintendent of Police, Bulandshahr, Santosh Singh.

Singh stated that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident with a local police circle officer taking charge of the probe. “The inquiry seeks to find out why such an insensitive approach was taken in the matter and children engaged for the work. Any further action would be taken accordingly,” he added.

Bulandshahr: Two Police personnel sent to district lines after a video of some children pulling a body to the corner of a canal in their presence went viral. SSP says,”Children in the video are minors&they shouldn’t have been engaged in this work. Further action will be taken”. pic.twitter.com/t1N3RxlbaO

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 2, 2020

The insensitivity shown by the cops is both shocking, but unfortunately not uncommon. Such behaviour though appalling has been normalised for so long that the policemen did not think twice before committing the mistake.

What Callous Govt & Policing ?
How can Children be allowed/told to deal with dead bodies ?

— Common Man (@TheCommonMan80) July 2, 2020

One hopes the “investigation” will bear fruit and it will not just end up being another case of the police protecting its own. Also it’s high time our police forces get a crash course in empathy.