Cops!

The sides of the toll road on the outskirts of Kovai on NH 47 was lined with cops on Sunday afternoon. Every 250 meters were lined with a pair distributed on both sides or a lone cop on one of the sides. After the toll road, the density of the cops decreased and they could be spotted every half a kilometer way past Valayar check post into Palakkad. Both Tamil Nadu and Kerala deployed their local cops and their reserve police. It must have been a VVIP who was visiting these cities.

I was swept with an eerie feeling while driving through these roads. Security, in abundance and in plain sight, is always scary! Since these roads were almost deserted with very light traffic, I examined the cops while driving past them.

I couldn’t see a single fit policeman in that lot. All of them had bulging and disproportionate waistlines. Some of them had such big bellies that they were resting on chairs. Where did they find the chair in that wilderness is a question that is baffling me!

I couldn’t find a single alert policeman in that lot. The sun was shaded by clouds on that day. Even without the scorching sun, the postures of the cops suggested that they were bored and about to fall asleep any moment. When the cops were in pairs, they were leisurely chatting with their partners.

This is bunch who protects me from lawlessness! How do I respect them? How can I feel protected on their watch? Why isn’t the governance checking the fitness of the force? If nothing works, why can’t we use the stick here – a compensation scheme or or penalty scheme or even a severance scheme?

What about the armed forces - Army, Navy and Air Force? You will never find these types over there! What does this mean? We are prepared for an external enemy. But when it comes to tackling the internal, cross our fingers and pray?

Tags: Musings,Cops,Kovai,Valayar,Palakkad,Tamil Nadu,Kerala,Army,Navy,Air Force

Comments

  1. Great point made here! Of all the attacks ones that come from inside do the most damage.

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  2. @Scribbler
    Exactly. They do more damage and the attacks are more often now! With all the readiness/drill the armed forces go through, we still do not have to wage an all-out war. But with so many terrorist attacks and murders(the third page of TOI is dedicated for covering this!), our cops cut a sorry figure.

    PS: BTW, TOI is sensational journalism. Do not miss to read while you are here! :)

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