In order to review the internal security situation, union home minister P. Chidambaram is going start his two-day visit to the Northeast on Monday. After his day-long visit to Mizoram where he will be holding meetings with Governor Lt. Gen. (retd) M.M. Lakhera and chief minister Lalthanhawla to review the security situation Mr Chidambaram will return to Assam on Tuesday.
Disclosing that home ministry is worried over the failure of Assam police in effectively discharging their responsibilities in maintaining the routine law and order, home ministry sources said that a report of National Crime Records Bureau has discovered that 62 per cent of heinous crimes, reported to police by victims, remain unattended in Assam.
The alarming revelation, which has come to light in a study of National Crime Record Bureau, found that Assam police file the chargesheet in 38 per cent of cases while 62 per cent cases, reported to them by victims, remain unattended in Assam.
The national average of police performance in filing charge-sheet has been 86 per cent out of which in 42 per cent cases, police also succeed in ensuring conviction. “If you see the performance of Assam police, in 38 per cent cases in which the chargesheets were filed, police could ensure conviction in merely 16 per cent of cases implying that either the cases were false or investigation by the police was not proper,” he pointed out adding that this has portrayed the Assam police in a poor light besides indicating political interferences in functioning of the police.
There are many other issues pertaining to peace-talks with rebel groups on which ministry has to take a decision, however, home ministry sources clarified that Mr Chidambaram’s visit to the state was aimed at to strengthening the working of state police so that criminal justice system could work properly.
Pointing out that home ministry has taken the matter seriously as police have failed to file chargesheets even in important cases like Dhemaji bomb blast of 2004 in which 13 school children and women were killed by Ulfa rebels, security sources said that repeated reminders to Assam police have failed in expediting the cases against the rebel leaders.
The Assam police has also failed in naming the top militant leaders in most of the cases relating to militant violence.