Cops' turn to spill the beans!

Last fortnight, the Maharashtra government very proudly announced that property ownership details of all the state IPS officers will soon be available online. What heartening news, especially as the Mumbai and Maharashtra police have been under the scanner for a number of years for corruption, inefficiency, infighting, apathy and so on.
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Then this week, we learn that Maharashtra's cops are among the top five most corrupt in the country. The four ahead of them ufffd Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi ufffd are infamous for their terrible law and order situations. What illustrious company to be in.

It is hard to understand how without family money, a police officer can afford a flat in, say, Juhu
And as a neat little reminder of exactly how effective and honest this online confession of wealth by the members of the Indian Police Service is likely to be, we learn that several of the state's IAS officers, in a similar declaration, have left some questions blank, have declared property values at the rate at which they were bought and not at current market values, while some others have not filled in the forms in time at all. Perfect.

So inspiring for the general public to learn that our top bureaucrats, whose salaries we pay, are unable to either tell the truth or quite simply, even fill up a form. What are the odds that if bureaucrats ufffd those who invent the innumerable forms that the rest have to fill and woe betide if we make a mistake ufffd cannot perform this act that policeu00a0 are going to be better at it?

There are other factors also, which have changed the scenario and increased avenues for corruption for our intrepid police officers, hard-working bureaucrats and committed politicians.

We all know how much every square inch of Mumbai is worth and even after the goodies of the sixth pay commission, it is hard to understand how without family money, a police officer can afford a flat in, say, Juhu.
A senior police officer has kindly informed us that Maharashtra has a high rate of cases against corrupt cops because more people complain. How enlightening of him to be so aware of the pain of the general public or perhaps he was just commenting on how painful the general public can be.

A good way to expose the corrupt is to follow the money trail. So far only few brave and foolish RTI activists and journalists have tried to find out about corruption and property in the police. Who knows what hidden treasures this list, which will testify to police honesty will reveal when it appears online? The ungrateful general public, usually cannot even get an FIR filed in a police station without being hospitalised for stress, will have one more opportunity to have a giggle when reading a newspaper.