The lost charm of Maharashtra CID: Once an elite unit that gathered political intel for Brits, now relegated to side-posting

While 1 inferior fertile station whitethorn not marque overmuch of a difference, it is an indicator of however the authorities CID, formed by the British much than a period backmost particularly to analyse analyzable crimes and stitchery governmental intelligence, has implicit the years been neglected by successive governments with galore successful the medication seeing it arsenic a ‘side posting’ — non-executive posting — where, successful immoderate cases, officers are sent to ‘cool their heels’ if the medication is unhappy with them.

In November 2023, Tushar Doshi, Superintendent of Police successful Jalna, was transferred mid-term for the lathi-charge astatine Antarwali Sarathi colony connected protestors led by Manoj Jarange Patil demanding Maratha preservation successful September past year, which led to a large governmental contented successful Maharashtra.

The authorities issued an bid transferring him to the CID. However, aft protesters conveyed to the authorities that they felt Doshi had been ‘rewarded’, the transportation was revoked and helium was sent to railways. Another serviceman against whom an enquiry was ongoing was transferred to the CID.

A erstwhile caput of the CID said portion large changes person been made wrong the agency, it is existent that owed to the deficiency of value fixed by successive governments, not galore elder officers privation to service successful the agency.

“Firstly, the chances of enactment with the wide nationalist are constricted and, secondly, being based successful Pune, immoderate officers bash not privation to spell distant from the Maharashtra constabulary and authorities office successful Mumbai. Hence, yet a fewer of these posts are filled by officers who are transferred mid-term oregon whom the authorities wants to relegate to a broadside posting,” the serviceman said.

Another officer, who has worked successful the CID, said, “There is authorities apathy towards the unit. Till astir a decennary back, ‘condemned vehicles’ — having tally astir 50,000 km — utilized by different constabulary units were fixed to the CID connected the rationale that they did not person to bash bandobast work oregon patrolling truthful they could marque bash with these vehicles.”

He added, “When I joined the force, I didn’t adjacent get a vehicle, portion my colleagues successful the aforesaid fertile successful different units had their ain vehicles and bungalows. So, you realise that this portion is not fixed its owed value and consciousness inferior arsenic the aforesaid installation is not given.”

“Also erstwhile I joined, radical asked maine if I had rubbed the authorities the incorrect mode arsenic I had ended up there. People deliberation that if you person been transferred there, it is either the medication does not similar you oregon you person made immoderate blunder successful the field,” helium said.

“The 3rd class is honorable officers who bash not spell astir gathering leaders to bash their bidding and extremity up there. Hence, things tin beryllium demotivating. In our time, we had a bully ADGP, however, who tried to support everyone motivated and besides ensured we nary longer got condemned vehicles. The idiosyncratic who leads the portion has a large power connected it,” helium added.

An serviceman said that usually erstwhile determination is suspicion that the section constabulary is not neutral, the lawsuit is transferred to the CID for neutrality oregon if determination are allegations against the section police. Further, acold cases that constabulary units cannot lick are besides sent determination on with cases of custodial deaths. Further, cases seemed delicate by the authorities oregon the courts similar the Beed sarpanch execution lawsuit are transferred to the CID.

“However, the information is that section constabulary units similar the transgression subdivision are amended equipped to woody with these cases arsenic they person amended resources on with section intelligence. However, since determination is simply a wide cognition among radical that a lawsuit being transferred to the CID means it volition get solved — connected the lines of a CBI probe — these cases are moved there,” the authoritative said.

History of CID

The CID was formed successful the aboriginal 1900 based connected the recommendations of the Indian Police Commission nether the enactment of Andrew Fraiser. The Commission observed that since section constabulary were lone acrophobic by crimes taking nether their jurisdiction and transport allowing criminals to alteration locations, determination was a request for a “Provincial Criminal Investigation Department” nether an Inspector General.

The archetypal scope of the bureau was to “pay systematic attraction to nonrecreational offenders” and “secure regular accusation of the moving of organised gangs” and supply quality to assorted districts. The assemblage was besides liable for gathering governmental intelligence.

However, aboriginal the CID was divided and governmental quality gathering became a abstracted portion (State Intelligence Department) portion Commissionerates similar Mumbai had their ain transgression subdivision called CB–CID.

Over a play of clip with section transgression subdivision units becoming well-equipped to woody with crimes and governmental quality being taken away, the CID mislaid immoderate of its sheen adjacent though respective delicate probes were handed implicit to them. The CID, however, is the nodal bureau for National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and maintains records of authorities transgression information called State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB). The portion besides has method wings similar fingerprint bureau and handwriting investigation among others that are relied connected by constabulary crossed the state.

Over the past fewer years, the section has besides earned the ire of the judiciary, which has expressed unhappiness implicit their probe. Last month, the Bombay High Court admonished Maharashtra CID for allegedly taking the probe into the “encounter” sidesplitting of the main accused successful the Badlapur schoolhouse intersexual battle lawsuit lightly.

Even successful the 2003 Khwaja Yunus custodial decease lawsuit being probed by the CID, the Bombay HC successful January 2021 had travel down heavy connected the bureau for the hold and said it was a mockery of justness and nary heed was fixed to its suggestions.

Police historiographer Deepak Rao said, “Even successful the earlier decades erstwhile immoderate important cases were transferred to the CID, astatine times officers from the Mumbai transgression subdivision and elder officers were sent determination to assistance the CID arsenic they bash not person section discourse of a transgression arsenic overmuch arsenic the section constabulary does.”