With prejudices against the minority community at police stations being reported at the higher echelons of the police establishment, a review has been initiated to create a pool of implementable ideas to sensitise the police staff at the ground level.
Among the many initiatives are visits to schools, madrasas, dispensaries and Unani clinics starting this month. “It has been brought to our notice that classification on the basis of religion exists in police stations and this is a serious issue,” said a senior officer. According to senior officers, the first meeting on the issue was held at the office of the Directorate General of Police with the focus on “interactions with the minority community”. While the Nashik Police Academy has introduced soft skills in the curriculum from this term, cases have come forward indicating the bias that the community, especially people living in poor pockets, face when they visit a police station. The prejudices also extend to the manner in which their complaints are probed or entertained.