10th July 2025 (13 Topics)
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Custodial Deaths and Police Reform
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Context:
The custodial death of 27-year-old Ajith Kumar in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, marked by 44 wounds and evidence of torture, has reignited the debate on police brutality and the urgent need for structural reforms in India's law enforcement system.
Systemic Abuse and Institutional Failures
- Pattern of Custodial Violence: Multiple custodial deaths in Tamil Nadu between 2021–2025 — including Vignesh (2022), Raja (2024), and Ajith (2025) — highlight a disturbing systemic trend of torture and impunity within the police system.
- State Failure in Police Welfare: Despite significant annual budget allocations, minimal investment is made in psychological support, mental health, or welfare training of personnel. The focus remains on hardware procurement, neglecting the human resource dimension.
- Normalisation of Force Over Fairness: Custodial violence is increasingly seen as routine rather than exceptional, revealing an entrenched culture where coercive practices override constitutional safeguards and due process.
Reform Imperatives for Human-Centric Policing
- Mental Health and Counselling Integration: Reallocating even 5% of the policing budget towards district-level mental health units, trauma counselling, and sensitisation programmes can reduce stress-induced brutality and improve public trust.
- Curricular Overhaul in Police Training; Outdated training models need to be replaced with modern modules focusing on ethics, trauma-informed investigation, human rights law, and community policing practices aligned with contemporary needs.
- Enforceable Accountability Mechanisms: The absence of a dedicated anti-custodial violence law hampers accountability. Time-bound investigations, independent oversight, and civil society participation must be institutionalised through legislative clarity.
Leveraging Technology and Legislative Will
- Technology as a Safeguard, Not Surveillance Alone: CCTV systems in custody areas must be tamper-proof and subject to real-time audits. Digital tools should enhance transparency, not serve as post-facto evidence without intervention.
- Redefining the Uniform's Symbolism: The police uniform must be reimagined as a representation of service, compassion, and lawful authority — rather than unchecked coercive power.
- Policy Over Punishment: Reactionary suspensions post-death are inadequate. Preventive structural changes, rooted in legal and psychological reform, are necessary to honour the constitutional contract with citizens.
Practice Question:
"Custodial deaths reflect a deeper malaise in India’s policing and criminal justice system. Critically examine the structural and institutional reforms necessary to ensure accountability and humane treatment of detainees." (250 words)More Articles
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