The Rape allegation against a police circle inspector in Andhra Pradesh has been booked for allegedly raping a woman who had taken a farmland on lease from him. The case of CI Chinnamallaiah forces a question that is uncomfortable but essential: in Andhra Pradesh today, who polices the police?
It is not merely the horror of a violent crime though, that alone would be sufficient cause for outrage. It is the horror of a specific kind of betrayal: a man who carries a badge, who is paid by the public to protect the vulnerable, who represents the coercive power of the state, allegedly using that position, that proximity, and that power to violate a woman who trusted him.
When the police are used to arrest comedians for jokes, to intimidate political opponents, to provide cover for corporate land deals and government excesses and when senior officials speak of “closely monitoring” investigations involving their own officers rather than immediately transferring such cases to independent bodies, the answer to that question is unclear.
The survivor in this case has placed her trust in a system that has given her, at this moment, reason for both hope and anxiety. The case has been registered. The accused has been placed on the Vacancy Reserve. Forensics are collecting evidence. These are the right steps.
But the test of this government and of this police force is not what happens in the first 48 hours, when cameras are watching and senior officials are making assurances. The test is what happens in week three, and month two, and at the moment the charge sheet is filed, and in the courtroom when the trial begins.
The survivor will be watching. The women of Andhra Pradesh will be watching and those of us who believe that a uniform must never be a weapon that the badge exists to protect, not to violate, will be watching too.
