Editorial
IGP's resolve to catch godfathers
Arrest is not enough, convict them
The new Inspector General of Police has said that the law enforcers will give the godfathers a hot chase. People have welcomed the on-going countrywide drive against crime, but they would like to see the godfathers, who orchestrate all criminal activities, arrested and brought to justice. In fact, the godfathers are responsible for the abysmal slide in law and order witnessed in the recent years and no crackdown on criminals would succeed unless their mentors are taken into the dragnet.The law enforcers should also begin legal action against the extortionists, encroachers, and musclemen who apparently set up a parallel administration in some places and resorted to plundering and looting of national assets. A few days back the law enforcers demolished a market built by a well-known godfather on an illegally occupied riverbank. The demolition was no doubt necessary to recover the land, but the encroachers must be brought to justice as well. It is highly regrettable that the godfathers operate under the protective umbrella of this or that political party, or are themselves political activists. The situation is further aggravated when they belong to the ruling party. The ruling party or alliance doesn't usually find it difficult to influence the administration and allow the loyal elements to commit all sorts of crimes. People in general are reduced to helpless onlookers under such circumstances. This drive should be particularly embarrassing to the immediate past ruling party as its leaders can now see what they have left for us. Unfortunately, the other parties cannot also claim to have a better track record when it came to keeping criminals out of their folds. We hope the anti-crime drive will not be a seasonal affair. Or just showcase the high number of hoodlums apprehended. The arrested godfathers must be prosecuted and conviction handed out to them so that they effectively neutralised. No innocent should be a victim.
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