Security, at whose expense?

by Vipin Agnihotri

The common man of the country is threatened not only by the dangers that lurk round the corner but also by the security that is provided to pompous VIPs. In the national capital alone there are 391 VIPs who are protected by 9000 policemen. This is happening at a time when the population is rising and the number of policemen has remained the same. The Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has rightly raised the issue and asked what these public men are doing if they feel so insecure among the people?

The recent Delhi High Court's observations deriding excessive security provided to politicians gives expression to deeply-felt popular sentiments. To be confronted with the gun-toting security guards that escort busybody netas is the common experience of citizens across the country, more so in high-powered cities such as New Delhi.

A Division Bench led by Justice T S Thakur observed: "If the so-called VIPs are so scared for their lives that they should have 15 gun-toting commandos surrounding them, then let them not come to these crowded public places at all."

Interestingly, the Bench said politicians were not a "national asset" that needs to be protected. "These security officers treat the common man as second rate, pushing them off footpaths and threatening them," pointed out Justice Thakur, referring to an incident when a senior Supreme Court judge who was taking a walk was made to stand facing a wall by "overzealous" security staff of a passing VIP.

Going by these comments, it is tough to believe that 391 VIPs in Delhi are all so threatened that 9,000 policemen are required to guard them at all times. No doubt, this is not the first time that the debate over excessive deployment of personal security has been brought up but the fact of the matter is that the court's comments have underlined the necessity of the routine six-monthly review of threat perception.

Some may say that politicians become targets of political or religious extremists, or of militants fighting for specific causes. But trust me, not all of them can be conceived of as targets, and certainly not all the time. And that is where, the need of the hour is to find a rational balance, and organize the proper use of public money in arranging for security.

Roads are routinely blocked for those in the higher categories of VIP security, which often leads to traffic disruptions and throwing schedules out of whack. It is pretty tough to understand how the time of a doctor rushing to save somebody's life could be considered less important. Point to be noted here is that these are actually the people who keep the wheels of the nation turning; without them there would be nobody for the netas to lead, and whom they are supposed to serve.

Generally speaking, both VIP security and public security are not matters that can be divorced from the context of the total law and order scenario of the country, and those who are of the opinion that posting a few armed guards around a threatened person is sufficient to 'protect' their lives deceive themselves.

The pivotal factor here is that when crime goes unpunished everywhere or is even rewarded with political office and the police is denigrated, humiliated and disempowered all personal security for the 'chosen few' is an illusion, and everyone, even the 'most high', are at all times vulnerable.

In my opinion, the security of life is the first and most fundamental right of man. It is not a privilege that attaches to high office. In other words, it is the right of every citizen, and one that the government of any civilized society is expected to safeguard.

And yet, we are witnessing the dip of human security in all its aspects in India. If experts are to be believed, compared to the growth of population in the metropolises, the relative strength of police forces has remained near stagnant. In addition, the equipment and infrastructure available to the 'guardians of the law' is laughable when you compare it with the technologies and resources accessed by those who challenge the authority of the state.

At this moment of time, the general investigative and forensic capabilities of the police are poorer than they were at the time of Independence. On the other hand, the burden of police responsibilities has expanded diametrically.

The court has not been kind to VIPs, equating their security cover with a show of self-importance. A pruning of the list of VIPs enjoying security may be effective for a time. But little changes in the attitudes of India's politicians. Delhi will be lucky if political leaders decide not to spend all their energies on acrimonious squabbles over 'Z' and 'Z'+ security after this.

The excuse of 'security' has got so out of hand that there are VIPs who hold no public offices, yet to whom Government residences have been allotted solely on these specious grounds, allowing them to convert public assets, more or less, into private ones. Meanwhile, as the worsening crime situation indicates, there is little security on the streets for ordinary citizens. It is time to end this farce.