The old adage “ God proposes, man disposes” seemed to have morphed with time to the more apt “Man proposes and man disposes” which will exactly explain the disturbing reports of the State Government maintaining a studied silence on the anomalies emerging through various sources regarding the police recruitment drive for which result was declared in 2010. What is more disturbing is the convenient inaction of the Government even when details of the alleged anomalies have been published in a few leading local papers and corroborated by top police officials including the Chairman of the recruitment board who have written to the Chief Secretary over the anomalies detected on the issue. Just when the celebratory din of the statehood day was quietly dying down along the corridors of power, it seems like the past has actually caught with those who abused and took their representative powers without giving a single thought of the consequences. Without sounding accusatory, it is indeed a perplexing attitude of the state Government to be keeping mum on the issue which will definitely have an unbelievably huge ramification on the future of the present government. It may be recalled that VK Das, the predecessor of the present DIG of Manipur have already expressed his concern regarding the reported anomalies being rampant during the recruitment of police personnel, with political interference and influence being the most severe of all. He also mooted the establishment of an independent recruitment board with special powers that can negate the influences and strong arm tactics. The report also confirms the untold stories of how aspiring candidates have to resort to borrowing and even selling off of properties to grease the palms of powerful politicians and police officials who have adopted a running price for recruitment in various ranks in the state police force, as well as the low moral and high-handedness of most of the newly recruited junior officers who stooped down to extortions and collusion with various armed gangs for monetary gains, desperate measures to recover their precious Return on Investment. Their obvious target would be to plough back the unaccountable expenses being doled out for favorable consideration, the concern for the upkeep of the law and order of the state far removed from their occupied minds. There also remains the unanswerable question of how those who have not appeared for the physical test be made eligible for selection. The trend indicates a deeper and powerful nexus between various arms of governance, evident in the blatant disregard of proper procedures and practices to be followed in the selection process. The final outcome of these protracted and deep rooted rot in the selection process of various departments of the Government depends on the earnestness with which the State Government effectively rectifies and bring its departments in line with the norms and procedures laid down. A short sighted approach and quick fix solutions will always ricochet with a bigger problem than before. But then, no one expected those in power to listen to their conscience.
