GUWAHATI, Nov 29 � The police force of the State has been hamstrung by manpower shortage, dearth of intelligence gathering, and poor conviction rate of arrested criminals, while a spurt in aggressive agitational programmes and violent protests is also giving it a tough time.
This was revealed, among other things, at the Chief Minister�s conference with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) that got under way at the Assam Administrative Staff College today. The meet will conclude on November 1.
The officials concerned from Dhubri district, while terming growing crime against women and cases of arson, dacoity, etc., as a concern, stressed the need for having a well-equipped river police force as the district had a large number of riverine area including chars (seasonal river islands). Lack of river police was complicating the task of manning the sensitive border areas, they added.
The need for adequate river police forces was also raised by the officials of Nalbari, Barpeta and Chirang districts.
The poor conviction rate � as low as 11 per cent and 17 per cent respectively in Nagaon and Dibrugarh districts � was termed as another major irritant for the men in khaki. Attributing it largely to poor investigation and prosecution, besides prolonged trials and witnesses turning hostile, the officials felt that modernization of the forces in every aspect would go a long way in addressing the problem.
In Chirang district, large presence ultras, besides forested borders with Bhutan, warranted greater deployment of police and security forces. Significantly, extortion cases were said to have come down noticeably after the police involved the public in tackling the menace. The officials further said that aggressive stirs by different organizations often created law-and-order situations. In Bongaigaon district also, violent agitations by the AKRSU and AAMSU were cited as an area of concern� while bandhs were stated to be the �biggest menace� in Dibrugarh.
When Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi wanted to know what action was taken for these lapses, Mahanta said that explanations were being sought from the officials concerned. At this the Chief Minister said that action ought to be taken on those responsible for such negligence.
Earlier, the Chief Minister took stock of the progress of different government schemes � especially those meant for the poor and the marginalized � and directed the DCs to ensure foolproof implementation of the projects. He also asked the DCs and the SPs to keep greater vigilance along the border areas besides maintaining law and order.
Gogoi also voiced displeasure at the failure of the police in controlling the violent AASU agitators during their vandalism at Vishal stores, terming the police role as �inactive.�
Several ministers, besides top officials including Chief Secretary NK Das and DGP Shankar Barua, attended the meet.
