State Police Director General has issued a circular that policemen should not arrest and file case against anyone just because he has consumed alcohol. This was done following the instruction of Human Rights Commission.

Even before the circular was released, City police commissioner Sanjay Kumar Gurudin gave instruction against indiscriminate hunt for drinkers.

The monopoly of liquor sale is in the hands of the government in a State where there is no liquor ban. Every year Rs 12000 crore reaches the State treasury through the sale of liquor.

Despite this importance of the liquor, the police look down upon the drinkers as low class people. There is no doubt that drunken driving is unlawful and the police have the right to catch the law-breakers.

They can be caught as per the law and allowed to go after legal action is taken against them. To penalize or not, is the discretion of a court but in many cases the police themselves take over that role of the court.

In the circular, the DGP reminds the police force that it will be cutting a sorry figure in front of the public when a person is taken to the police station and harassed just because he is drunk. This was the same thing that Human Rights Commission had also pointed out.

The primitive style of waving down vehicle riders and checking them to find out whether they are drunk is going on everyday across the State. One of those demeaning modes of examination is the demand made by policemen to blow into the breath-analyser. In such situations, the police behave rudely to the drunken riders or drivers as if they are dealing with big criminals.

The argument that police are yet to come out of such ways of harassments that do not suit the culture and reputation of the force is endorsed by back-to-back instructions issued by Human Rights Commission and DGP.

The vigour and spirit shown by the police while handling drunk vehicle drivers is unparalleled when compared with the discriminations shown by them while handling big crimes and criminals.

There is nothing surprising about police coming on to the middle of the road and checking vehicles for the rule violation in order to reach the set target of fine collection.

It is easy to understand the hassles of waiting for vehicle drivers even in this sweltering summer and charging them petty fines for not wearing helmet or drunk driving.

By now itself, the police chiefs have issued a number of circulars in connection with the vehicle inspection. Have anything said in the circular been implemented? A circular will have some value only if the officers who issue it is serious about implementing what is said in the circular.