We are within our rights to ask the police and traffic authorities in Jammu and Kashmir as to the fate of the actions taken by them post occurrence of the tragic road accidents especially the ones that took place a few months back on the hilly areas of Jammu division which claimed several precious human lives . The hullabaloo and trumpeting of ‘fast action’ to be taken and ‘ordering’ instituting of the inquiry committees etc immediately after the tragic accidents take place, do appear to be just for calming down the indignation and pent up feelings of the people against the obsolete and inertial system. Should registering of FIRs be reduced to just formalities so much so that the basic purpose of an FIR gets defeated? Should Police show absolutely no eagerness in pursuing the registered FIRs after the occurrence of heart rending road crashes and not lead the same to logical ends? Chronological events of tragic accidents hardly need to be recounted to impress upon the authorities to give a shake up to the lethargic system and to appear to value a human life by prompt action and follow up measures.
It may be recalled that only last year in June , nine young girls were among 11 persons killed and seven others seriously injured when a tempo traveller met with an accident on the Mughal Road. Lot of cry and voices were raised following which FIR was registered in one of the concerned police stations in Shopian but what happened thereafter, nothing is known as on date, even curiously not by the police personnel themselves when contacted. Is such an approach by the police and the administration towards the tragic deaths of people acceptable? Is there no system in the Police Department where monthly statements in respect of the status of the FIRs registered and the causes of no action specified were submitted to higher authorities from each Police Station so as to monitor their fate ? What exactly is the post registering scrutiny and follow up procedures of FIRs registered with the Police Stations? A Station House Officer, on getting transferred to another station, is supposed to fully inform and acquaint the new incumbent about all cases and other relevant information so that things could be known in a transparent way. The fact, in most of the cases is, however, feigning ignorance under the plea “recently shifted ” or “no information” and the like. The same features, more less , are true of another tragic accident on Kishtwar – Keshwan Road which consumed 35 precious lives in catastrophic road accident. No follow up of FIRs and no information forthcoming from the concerned sources looks as if responsibility, accountability, answerability and culpability etc are just theoretical terms only to be read in text books or office annuals but never to be practiced.
People are becoming more conscious about the high degree recklessness of majority of public servants in cases like the one under reference and Right to Information Act empowers them to know each and every information which the concerned carefree public officials of the police, traffic and transport departments must note in their own interests. Merely by shifting or transferring personnel between the stations do not render the Police Stations ineffective as they are legally a ”continuous entity ”and no alibi on that count could be entertained. It is a thumb rule that the more time passes or is allowed to pass, collecting evidences and proving documents in courts become less easy. Witnesses tend to forget or often put up a distorted or incorrect version in courts on account of the long time factor.
It is a prerequisite for any case registered by the Police that the same be followed by intensive and prompt investigations and challan produced in the court. We, however, are pained to find out that even after lapse of many months, challans are not filed in the courts in respect of the tragic accidents that took place one after the other. We hope that all such inquiries which, as a matter of routine, are ordered to find out the causes and suggest remedial measures and in the cases under reference, should sooner than any later, conclude the findings and submit the reports so that proper action other than mere filing of FIRs could be taken and such tragic accidents could be avoided and increasingly prevented , if not totally stopped altogether.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
