“Police modernization is not only providing modern and high technology weapon to the police personnel, but it also means to make a well discipline and people friendly police”, said Wahengbam Joykumar Singh, Secretary of Human Right Initiative in press meet held at its office at Thangapat.
Accusing the Home department of not following the Supreme Court orders in making the peoples’ friendly police, Joykumar , who is also an RTI activist said that Home Minister Gaikhangam should clean his Home department instead of speaking appealing words to the people. The activists further added that if the Home department had commitment to serve the people of the state then Home Department should not be exempted from the purview of the RTI act to prove their accountability and transparency.
Joykumar said that recently the Home Department had denied giving information sought through RTI, but after the matter has been appealed to the Manipur Information Commission, the Commission had directed the Home department to provide the information within 45 days. He said if the matter is about corruption and Human Rights violations then even though the state government can exempt the Home department from the purview of the RTI, the department has to give information.
He further appealed the state government to conduct the legal awareness campaign among the law enforcing officers as well as the government officials. This is so stated against allegations to the RTI activists of misusing the RTI act. “It is not the RTI activists that are misusing the RTI act but the government officials and law makers”, Joykumar said. He also added that if they are so sure about their integrity then why barking at the media or trying to bribe the appellant instead of giving the information that he sought.