Date: 2nd December 2020
Time: 3:00 PM
Meet Link: bit.ly/dottalks1202
Concept Note:
Policing a society is not a very old concept. Its roots may be ancient but policing, in a modern sense it is a recent phenomenon. All societies have had some norms or behaviour for individuals and also for groups. The root of all these norms is gregariousness, survival, acceptability of behaviour and extracting compliance to the accepted norms. Humans and societies evolve and interact with each other. These interactions bring about ‘enlightenment’ and new ideas and help them evolve. The more a society is interactive, the better it is evolved. In a sense interaction fosters change and adoption of change or adaptation to change enhances development. Inevitably there is a continuum of ‘isolation’ versus ‘interaction’ of ‘cocooning’ versus ‘sprouting’ and ‘narrow-mindedness’ versus ‘open-ness’. These continuums apply across almost all walks of life – from basic necessities to luxuries. These basic necessities and luxuries, have also been different among different people over the ages and there have been different strata in the society. These are common features of all societies – only their manifestations may be different in different societies at the same time or in the same society at different times. This is where the concept of developed societies versus under-developed ones comes in. All societies may not be under-developed in all things and neither would all developed societies be developed in all. Despite the distinctions and differences, societies have, generally tended to make things equal for everyone – normalisation is a step in achieving this objective. To achieve normalisation, the norms have been evolved, defined and internalised within societies and also among societies. It is here, when norms have to be implemented among societies or groups that wider definitions and mechanisms are required. Norms are a basic necessity of all societies – from an acceptable human behaviour (at an individual level) to a behaviour within a family or a neighbourhood or village or a group of villages, the norms either have existed on their own or have been imposed. It is the ‘imposed norms’ which are a challenge. It is here where the role of law enforcement and policing comes in. Policing is contextual as well as universal. It cannot be seen in isolation and neither is it a static process. It is a work in motion – a process as well as an objective. It is in this broad background that I would like to delve on the topic with references to Nagaland. However, references to Nagaland could be equally applicable to other similarly placed societies – much as things happening elsewhere have been impacting Nagaland too.
Bio of Speaker:
Rupin Sharma (DGP, BORDER AFFAIRS, NL) is a 1992 batch IPS officer borne on the Nagaland cadre. He served the state in various capacities, as Sub- Divisional Police Officer, Additional Superintendent of Police, Superintendent of Police, Deputy Inspector General (CID), Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Director General Prisons, Homeguards & Civil Defense before being elevated to the post of Director General of Police. As the DGP of Nagaland (2017-18) he brought in massive police reforms and significantly boosted confidence of the public in Rule of Law and Governance. He has handled anti-insurgency operations, both pre-ceasefire and post-ceasefire and seen the transition of Naga insurgent groups to the ceasefire and negotiations stages. He served in the UN peacekeeping Mission in Bosnia Herzegovina and served as Deputy Regional Commander in the ethnically complex Mostar Region of Bosnia. While on deputation to the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, he handled Consular issues like welfare of Indians abroad, Foreigners in India, Investigation abroad, foreign requests to India besides extradition cases, both ways. He has dealt with all aspects of International Cooperation in criminal matters from within police to CBI ( INTERPOL) and also from Ministry of External Affairs to an Indian Mission/embassy abroad, giving him a unique experience. While in CBI he served as Asst Director INTERPOL, responsible for all International Coordination including investigations and extradition matters. Arrest of Mumbai Gangster Abu Salem in Portugal was among the better known of his catches. He has served in the MEA, CBI, and Indian Embassy in Vietnam and has a thorough overview of the entire extradition process and international cooperation in Criminal matters.