CHAPTER 1 Human Rights vis-à-vis Policing Introduction The basic role of the police in a democratic set up is to function as a law enforcement agency and render impartial service to law, without any heed to wishes, indications or desires expressed by the government which either come in conflict with or do not conform to the provisions contained in the Constitution or laws. The police have a duly recognised service-oriented role in providing relief to people in distress situations and are required to be trained and be well equipped to perform the service oriented functions.2 The more conscientiously the policemen perform their functions, the more they will be sync with their service oriented role and consequently with the protection of the human rights of the masses. As stated in the Introduction, the concept of human rights is not new for the police; it has been there always, highlighted in all the State Police Training Manuals, the various Police Commission Reports, the IPC and Cr.PC and above all, the law of the land, the Constitution of India. Interestingly, the Police Act of 1861 which is looked upon as a repressive Act also had certain distinct features which underline the significance of human rights, albeit indirectly, by referring to maintenance of law and order and prevention of crime as the primary functions of the police. The idea that good policing necessarily implies a total commitment and thorough investment in the protection of human rights of the people runs through all the above mentioned documents. The thought may not come across explicitly most of the time but the underlying current, ethos, and emphasis cannot be missed. The following topics and analysis of the same would clearly bring out this fact. These are the facets wherein the PolicePublic interface takes place. Each of these topics, has diverse aspects to it, and could have been developed into separate chapters. Nonetheless, an attempt has been made to cover the essential components in each one of these topics. Overlapping of content to some extent, while discussing these topics, was unavoidable as the issues are deeply interlinked. 2 Second Report of the National Police Commission Manual on Human Rights for Police Officers 17