Upholding laws is not moral policing

Deputy CM RR Patil was dubbed moral guardian of the city after shutting down dance bars. He tells Neeta Kolhatkar that cheerleaders in T20 matches are not the problem; drunk and rash drivers are

How does it feel to be known as the moral guardian of Mumbai?
People have to decide what they call any leader. It is their prerogative. I have never tried to create an image for myself, nor have I tried to teach morality to anyone.

Then why are you termed a ‘moral policing’ minister?
When I took the decision to ban dance bars, I was called a ‘moral guardian’. But there were many reasons to close the dance bars. They had corrupted all our systems. They would keep open till late hours by giving hafta to the police. Policemen would try for transfers to areas where dance bars thrived. The residents in those areas lived in constant fear as members of the underworld visited these bars. Some bars brought Bangladeshi women to perform and the police turned a blind eye to this. There were even atrocities committed on minor girls. I was only implementing the laws of the land.

Do you think people can look up to you as a model for upholding morals?
People should not forget that there is a difference between upholding the law and moral policing. However, in India there is little difference between our laws and morality. Maybe that is why people think whatever I’ve done to uphold the law is moral policing.
 
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray criticised your decision to close the dance bars.  I do not know why Thackeray criticised me. On numerous occasions, he says things to poke fun at other politicians or lighten a speech. But regarding another criticism, about our disbanding of the encounter specialist force, I will say one thing: even today, the Mumbai crime branch has the required control on the movements of the underworld. And that is the only reason crimes like kidnapping and extortion are under control. Our crime branch is as efficient as before, but I do not agree that any police agency has the right to assume the role of judges. The duty of the police officer is to nab the accused and take them to court; they do not have the right to sit in judgement.

You started with dance bars, then it was drink driving and now rash driving. Are you trying to cleanse society?
We are moving in the right direction. There is a long way to go. Even now, more than 200 drivers are still being caught every day for driving under the influence of alcohol; every year, 11,000 people die in Mumbai due to accidents;  and 50,000 families face the consequences due to deaths in accidents. So our actions are really limited when we see the magnitude of this problem.

I need more officers to train. I need more equipment and we have placed a huge order. We will expand our campaign to the highways and other cities across the state. No one has the right to consume alcohol and then take the lives of innocent people. We have received a tremendous response from the public. However, our campaign will continue till we catch the last man driving under the influence of alcohol. We also want to step up the punishment. No one should escape by paying only Rs500 or spending a day in jail for drink driving.

Now we have extended the campaign to rash driving as well. We will also take action against those who issue licences to these rash drivers. A single officer of the Road Transport Office issues 50 licences daily. So, obviously, they are giving licences without testing driving skills. 

What are the complaints regarding the Twenty20 match in Mumbai last week?
No complaint has been brought to my notice. Some journalists asked me about the cheerleaders. I have not seen the T20 matches even on television. My officers have not yet briefed me. So I have nothing to say about this issue. We have a social service branch and our officers are equipped to handle any complaint of obscenity. This is no issue for me. We have to learn to see such international events in a different light.

Is your government serious about addressing the 1992 Mumbai riots cases?
I agree that the minorities feel injustice has been done to them which has led to misunderstandings. This is not misplaced considering there was extensive destruction and loss of life in the 1992-93 riots that shook Mumbai. It is a reality that not many accused have been punished. Even today the cases are pending. That is why we requested the High Court to appoint fast track courts to handle these cases.

The morcha on Thursday was unnecessary. The activists had asked us to transfer the Hari Masjid case to the CBI, which we have. We have also appointed a panel of advocates after consulting activists, and issued instructions to re-open cases against errant police officers. So we are moving in the right direction.