Crime and punishment in Punjab

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Unless strict action is taken, it is going to snowball

Unfortunately, things have come to the point where Punjab’s rising crime rate needs the provincial government’s immediate and undivided attention, failing which not only will people suffer from lawlessness, but the government too shall find its mandate diminishing. First it was the grinding economy pushing the youth bulge towards increasing crime, a well known social phenomenon, especially in the third world. But taking it as just that, a social phenomenon, and not an indicator of grim future is what almost always causes it to snowball. And that is what is happening in Punjab.

Precisely because law enforcement was minimal, and people could get away with crime, repeatedly in most cases, the range and scope of criminal activities increased. The pick pocketing, incidents of theft, and the occasional killing then made way to widespread rape, as we have noted in this space before. And again, since official response was near nonexistent, the idea that people could get away with crimes petty and serious only grew in force. The obvious spillover has been more heinous crime. Newspapers and bulletins are now full of stories of theft, rape, honour killings, and even extrajudicial killings.

Tackling rising crime needs conviction to begin with, but it also needs mobilising huge machinery comprising the police force, judiciary, media, and the good offices of the chief minister. But it is not just in Punjab that the Sharifs’ posture is weak on state retaliation. The episode of talks with the Taliban, which seems to be unwinding slowly, exhibited in no uncertain terms what lengths they are willing to go to accommodate even blatant crime as long as their party line is towed.

But Punjab is a very different story. And the CM has been in the seat for quite a while now. His first order of business must be to bring some sort of normalcy to the police force, arguably one of the most corrupt, incompetent and inefficient organs of the state. It is not just that the police almost always comes out embarrassing itself, but more importantly, it also brings shame to the CM, whose promises of stern action and better future turn out hollow largely because of the security force’s many inabilities. Yet the buck does stop with him, and it is his responsibility to keep his province in order. After all he does depend on the people’s goodwill to stay in power. And if it is the police force that has been found wanting time and again in the matter of serious crime in the province, then perhaps he should take some steps that show he really means business this time. He will be surprised by how much the media and judiciary would come to his aid in such matters.

But something must show first. And so long as there is no punishment, there will continue to be more crime under the CM’s Punjab watch.