Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik has been sent packing within two days of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray demanding his head. It is, therefore, hard to accept that Mr Patnaik’s transfer was part of a “routine administrative process”, as Maharashtra home minister R.R. Patil has claimed.
Mr Thackeray had reason to be upset with Mr Patnaik, who maintained that the MNS’ march from Girgaum to Azad Maidan last Tuesday had been held without due permission, and hence the MNS would be proceeded against. With Mr Patnaik gone, it is unlikely this will happen.
At his rally Mr Thackeray had demanded the resignation of the police chief, as well as the home minister. Clearly, the latter has bought his peace with the MNS by shifting the city’s top police officer, who had been in the line of fire of both the MNS and Shiv Sena for not being tough enough with rampaging mobs at a Muslim rally on August 11 held to protest against the violence against Muslims in Assam.
Mr Patnaik had shown balance in not ordering shooting on August 11 in the face of provocation as his force was armed with SLRs and the fatalities could have been extensive. But he has been blamed for not anticipating mob violence. It is clear, however, that policing in Mumbai and other Maharashtra cities has been deeply politicised. The present home minister has not checked the trend, and done all too little to go after communal and extremist outfits in the state.