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Tamil Nadu

TN police panel recommends several changes to curb caste bias in police force

The Commission has said that such caste-related references in ACRs are unnecessary and could lead to biased assessments.

Written by : TNM Staff

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Amid concerns over biased policing in the southern districts of the state, the Tamil Nadu Fifth Police Commission has asked police Commissioners and Superintendents of police to ensure that officers from dominant communities are not disproportionately posted in communally sensitive areas. Such postings could lead to biased reporting of events and compromise impartiality in handling caste-related incidents, The Hindu reported.

The panel had asked for the removal of the caste/community column from the performance appraisal forms of police personnel. “The column, ‘Community/ Caste' in the Basic Information Sheet in the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) format meant for Head Constables (HC) and Special Sub-Inspectors (SSI) may be deleted”, the commission report said.

The ACR is used to evaluate police personnel for promotions, increments, deputations, medals and empanelment. It currently includes a column asking for the caste/community of Head Constables (HC) and Special Sub Inspectors (SSI), who together make up a significant portion of the state's police force.

It may be noted that caste is not mentioned in ACRs for higher ranks, including those of IPS officers.

TNM has seen parts of the recommendations by the fifth police commission headed by retired Madras High Court judge Justice CT Selvam, including that caste-related references in ACRs are unnecessary and should be done away with. 

It has also recommended the formation of Special Intelligence Cells (SIC) in all caste sensitive districts to gather intelligence on caste related developments that have a bearing on law and order. 

The district includes Dindigul, Theni, Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Kanya Kumari, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Erode and Ariyalur to collect intelligence on caste/religion based issues. 

Among the other recommendations aimed at addressing caste conflicts in the state are proposals to convene all-party meetings to build political consensus on removing caste names from street signs and erasing caste markers on village boundaries to minimise the gravity of discrimination arising out of a false sense of caste pride.

The Tamil Nadu government is yet to make this report public and decide on accepting or rejecting its recommendations.