"Our country currently witnessed an outpouring of public anger against corruption. Life in the service of the people of India is a noble calling, particularly for those charged with the responsibility of lives and security of citizens," Manmohan Singh said at the all India conference of the directors general and inspectors general of police here.
"People who enlist themselves for such a cause must, therefore, take pride in their ability to honestly discharge their duties."
Though he did not name the anti-graft movement of Anna Hazare, who sat on a 12-day fast at Ramlila Maidan in the capital in August demanding a strong Lokpal bill, his reference to the anti-corruption protest was more than an indication.
"Crowd control techniques in a democracy, where people often rigorously vent their opinions and sometimes their frustrations, have to strike a fine balance between the requirement to maintain law and order and the imperative of using absolutely minimum non-lethal force," he said.
Noting that the Jammu and Kashmir Police, which had to deal with stone-pelting by protesters last summer, had improved their capabilities considerably in this regard, the prime minister said: "We need to be keep looking at newer methods and methodologies and technologies of handling demonstrations."
Reiterating his call made at the recent National Integration Council meeting against perceived biases, sometimes, of the law enforcement and investigation agencies against minorities, Singh said the existence of such a perception "is inimical to effective policing", which must necessarily draw upon the confidence and cooperation of all sections of the population it served.
"I would like you to consider ways and means to deal with the causes of such perception wherever they exist," he appealed.
Manmohan Singh said these were "difficult and challenging times" for the country's security forces.
"Our social fabric continues to be targeted by organised terrorism, abetted by misguided zeal and false propaganda among the youth and the marginalised sections of society," he said.
Manmohna Singh noted that the security forces had to contend with Left-wing militancy, parochial and chauvinistic movements, and tensions caused by social-economic imbalances and inequity, and also by rapid urbanisation.
"Policing the metropolitan areas, the control of organised of crime and the protection of women and the elderly require special attention," he said.
"While dealing firmly with these challenges, our police forces must function within the bounds of a democratic framework, within which the democratic rights of our people are scrupulously respected and upheld. I am sure that if our forces are led ably and guided properly, they will find themselves more than equal to the task, daunting though they are," he added.
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