Blanket Removal Of Security Was Wrong
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-05-30 06:42:11
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The India Commentary view
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The ghastly murder of Congress leader and Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, allegedly by Canadian gangsters, just a day after his security was trimmed/removed by the Punjab government as per its policy of doing away with the so-called 'VIP culture' in the state is tragic. It also proves that there are certain areas where policy decisions cannot be taken in a blanket manner without examining the details of individual cases.
Punjab faces a shortage of police personnel as a huge number of cops are deployed at all times to protect sundry persons most of whom are politicians or other prominent citizens, giving rise to what AAP has termed the 'VIP culture'. But removing/trimming their security at one fell stroke was not right as the state is duty bound to protect citizens who are threatened after assessing the threat perception.
It is true that many such persons apply for security based on misconceptions about threats to personal safety. It is also true that moving about with security detail gives some of these persons a high, a feeling of self-importance and they relish it. But it is also true that some of them do carry a threat to their personal safety, as the Moose Wala incident shows. Although the Supreme Court has ruled that no one can ask for security from the state as a matter of right, it has also said that the police authorities will appraise the threat before taking a decision on whether security needs to be provided.
The AAP government in Punjab should have independently assessed the current threat perception to these persons before withdrawing their security. Not every 'VIP' asks for security without any reason. It is upon the government to find out if they actually need it. It was wrong on part of the AAP government in Punjab to withdraw the security of a large number of people without assessing the threat perception.
