Status of Policing in India Report 2020-21 (Volume 2): Policing in the Covid-19 Pandemic

This report was released on August 16, 2021, by Common Cause, which works on governance reforms, and Lokniti, a research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies – both based in Delhi. It is the third Status of Policing in India Report; the first was released in 2018. Volume I of the 2020-21 report contains information on policing in India’s conflict-affected regions, whereas Volume II focuses on the Covid-19 pandemic.This second volume contains the results of a survey of 3,607 people – 1,198 police personnel and 2,409 civilians – conducted in 19 cities across 10 states: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The report studies the challenges faced by the police in discharging their duties during the nationwide lockdown. It also documents the interactions between civilians and the police under the unusual circumstances created by the pandemic.The report states that majority of civilian respondents (58 per cent) had observed police personnel mistreat or use excessive force against people. This made them fear similar treatment, although many (56 per cent) reported witnessing them help civilians as well. The lockdown put immense pressure on the poor and those without reserves like savings, salaries, pensions and housing. They were forced to flout lockdown regulations to find work – causing more clashes with the authorities.The 171-page publication has eight chapters: Enforcing the Covid-19 Lockdown: Effects and Experiences (Chapter 1); Citizen-Police Interactions during the Pandemic (Chapter 2); Emerging Issues and Challenges: Crime, Surveillance, and Law & Order (Chapter 3); Changing Roles & Working Conditions of the Police (Chapter 4); Communications & Capabilities: People’s Appraisals of Police Performance (Chapter 5); Through the Lens of the Media: Policing in Extraordinary Circumstances (Chapter 6); What the Migrants and Relief Workers Say: Summary of a Separate, Rapid Survey (Chapter 7); and Policing during the Pandemic: Areas of concern and the ways ahead (Chapter 8).