Mumbai: Concerned over the growing incidence of attacks on policemen, the state home department and the police administration have issued orders to all police stations across Maharashtra to identify the reasons for such unrest against the police force, the people behind such attacks and the solution to the problem.
A senior officer of the Maharashtra police said various incidents indicate that there is so much anger against the police that one gets a feeling that it has been instigated.
"The best example is the Malegaon incident when immediately after the bomb blasts, people, instead of rushing the injured to the nearest hospital, started attacking the police," the officer, who requested anonymity, said.
He further added, "If you look at the way additional superintendent of police Viresh Prabhu and five other policemen were attacked, it doesnt seem that it was a spur-of-the-moment attack, it looks like a pre-meditated attack on them."
Another incident that shocked the police administration was the violence that erupted last week in Rabodi area near Thane. The incident was triggered by a controversy over the erection of a hoarding for navratri, but soon turned out to be a fight against the police.
One person was killed and more than 62 injured in the violence. Among the injured, majority were police personnel. "Policemen are the most visible entities of the government, they are also softest targets because politicians and senior police officials never support them," said a senior police officer from Thane.
Another dastardly act was two policemen being burnt alive by a mob in Bhiwandi in Thane in 2006.
"All these incidents are an indication that there is a sustained campaign going on against the police force. We need to get at the bottom of this before the situation gets out of hand," the officer said.
In a notice sent to all police stations in the state, the administration has asked them to list out instances of attack on policemen in their jurisdiction, the reason for the attacks and preventive measures that could be taken to ensure such incidents do not occur again.
