States to have Muslim police officers in Muslim-dense areas

New Delhi Accepting a key recommendation of the Sachar Committee, the Centre has asked the states to appoint at least one Muslim officer in police stations in areas having high concentration of Muslim population.In a communication to Chief Secretaries of all states, Union Home Secretary R K Singh asked them to send a status report on it by the end of June. The missive was sent after the Home Ministry found that many states have not yet fully implemented one of the key recommendations of the Sachar Committee report.

The Committee, which was constituted on March 9, 2005, under the chairmanship of Justice Rajinder Sachar to prepare a comprehensive report on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in India, had, in its report in November 2006, made the recommendation as an initiative to build confidence among community members.It had suggested that it would be useful to have at least one Muslim police inspector or sub-inspector in police stations in areas having high concentration of Muslim population "not as a matter to eliminate discrimination but as an initiative to build confidence".Reminding the states about its earlier communication sent four years ago, the Home Secretary said, "I would once again request you to take appropriate action in the light of the recommendation and also apprise this Ministry about the action taken in this regard".Singh also asked the states to follow up the exercise Singh also asked the states to follow up the exercise again in December and make it a practice to send status reports to the Home Ministry on a half-yearly basis.The Centre sent the communication to the states to appoint at least one Muslim inspector or sub-inspector in such police stations after finding that the implementation of the Sachar Committee report was erratic and that full compliance was yet to be achieved.The Committee had made various recommendations which were being followed up simultaneously by different central ministries, taking into account their jurisdiction and subjects, officials said.The Committee report was prepared after detailed and wide-ranging consultations with state governments, NGOs, universities, academic bodies, intellectuals and various organisations of the central government.REUTERS