Samikhsya Bureau
The five letter word ‘sorry’ cant be taken as a disarming tool for any wrong committed deliberately or out of any compelling spontaneity. The incident of a police officer of such seniority, as Superintendent of Police(SP) stepping down to man-handle a journalist on duty in Patkura in Kendrapada district , has raised a few questions staring at the administration and the political dispensation.
Kendrapada SP, Niti Sekhar, who in hind sight had the realisation that he felt sorry for his act of misconduct shown to Ajesh Mallik, reporter for a local news channel during the campaign in Patkura, can never be taken as a healthy precedent.
It is not that Ajesh was a journalist but the police has no right to touch anybody or resort to actions like raising hand on any citizen . Sekhar has committed a grave mistake which should not be allowed to slip from the notice of political executives.
Neither an apology can take away the bottom reality that, reflection of such conduct from a SP speaks volumes about the dark underbelly of the department. Can the police officer afford to such recourse if it was not Ajesh but a leader of a political party or a MLA. Heaven would have broken lose and any such erring cop despatched back from there or transferred. And, in case, it was a small cop, suspension would have been the only option before the police top brass.
What is more disturbing that, as is evident from video clips already gone viral, two senior BJD leaders were witness to the entire incident. But what made them mere onlookers is beyond all comprehension.
Reportedly the when the issue created an uproar in the Assembly the honourable Speaker of the assembly did not find any worth in the issue post an apology by Sekhar. If that can be a standard and accepted norm in such cicumstances then, it should be for all.
