Rs. l crore for information leading to the capture of the perpetrators of the German Bakery Blast incident in Pune this week is what the government is considering. This public expression of the financial measure of the government's resolve has been reported by every paper this morning. In the same papers there is a half page advert taken out by the Home Department pleading with citizens to " be our eyes and ears". For the same end different means are sought here - only sensible considering the gravity of the situation.
We would like to think that internal security is the burden of the police with every responsible citizen aiding them. But in reality the yoke is also balanced on a network of individuals of ambiguous morality - the informants. For them to perform their "duty" they need monetary reminders. Hence the Superintendent of Police of every district in India has access to a large fund that goes towards paying for intelligence - a fund subject to no audit. This mechanism has always been in place and is vital to the maintenance of law and order, even in the most peaceful of nations. It is a nod to the idea that the state is an imposed structure precariously perched on top of a social milieu which the state doesn't quite understand.
Now for an incident like the one in Pune which captures headlines everywhere, cracking the case assumes greater significance. Therefore the gathering of intelligence becomes that much more critical, hence instead of seeking information from the established informant networks alone , the authorities need new sources. The reward for such information has to correspond to the risks involved. The home ministry surely must have its logic in arriving at a figure in a manner which is routine yet awkward. After considering the urgency, cost-benefit and demand-supply the figure arrived at is Rs. 1,00,00,000 - an iconic amount.
Perhaps it is insensitive to talk of this tiny detail in view of the bigger picture but I believe that people already have entrenched opinions on the incident and the trend and therefore my voice may well already be represented in this regard by some section.
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/feb/280210-kingpin-khabri-mumbai-underworld-gossip.htm
We would like to think that internal security is the burden of the police with every responsible citizen aiding them. But in reality the yoke is also balanced on a network of individuals of ambiguous morality - the informants. For them to perform their "duty" they need monetary reminders. Hence the Superintendent of Police of every district in India has access to a large fund that goes towards paying for intelligence - a fund subject to no audit. This mechanism has always been in place and is vital to the maintenance of law and order, even in the most peaceful of nations. It is a nod to the idea that the state is an imposed structure precariously perched on top of a social milieu which the state doesn't quite understand.
Now for an incident like the one in Pune which captures headlines everywhere, cracking the case assumes greater significance. Therefore the gathering of intelligence becomes that much more critical, hence instead of seeking information from the established informant networks alone , the authorities need new sources. The reward for such information has to correspond to the risks involved. The home ministry surely must have its logic in arriving at a figure in a manner which is routine yet awkward. After considering the urgency, cost-benefit and demand-supply the figure arrived at is Rs. 1,00,00,000 - an iconic amount.
Perhaps it is insensitive to talk of this tiny detail in view of the bigger picture but I believe that people already have entrenched opinions on the incident and the trend and therefore my voice may well already be represented in this regard by some section.
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/feb/280210-kingpin-khabri-mumbai-underworld-gossip.htm
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