After three years in power, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has finally realised that the state police are doing him more harm than good. Having gotten over his aversion to the police-a result of his experiences during the Emergency-Vijayan had backed the department in his current term, going so far as to prevent his CPI(M) partymen from interfering in its work. But with the police's latest indiscretions- including custodial deaths- even the chief minister is feeling the heat.
That Vijayan finds himself in this position-in the line of fire for supporting the police-has surprised everyone. So marked was his turnaround vis-a-vis the police that, in his current term, he even appointed a former police official-controversial former DGP Raman Srivastava-as an advisor, to help him manage home affairs.
But the faith he placed in the police seems to have been counter-productive. For example, since 2016, Kerala has seen six custodial deaths. The latest case is that of 49-year-old Rajkumar from Idukki district, whose finance company had gone bust. Taken into custody on June 12, he was formally arrested on June 15. He died on June 21. After the media outrage and following the disruption of the state assembly for several days, a crime branch investigation was ordered. Four police officers were arrested and charged with murder, and a few others suspended.