CITY LIFE & LIVING ENCOUNTER KILLINGS MAY MENTALLY AFFECT THE POLICE INVOLVED
What’s behind the facade?
Elizabeth Soumya. BANGALORE
Cops pursuing the bad guy through dark alleys, road chases before they gun him down and claim victory –. A routine clip of heroism from the movies. But, in reality, an encounter killing (where the police shoot down a criminal in a gun battle) can be traumatic for those involved. Alok Kumar, Joint Commisioner of Police, Crime, feels that an incident like an encounter killing can definitely take its toll on an officer. He says that although there is no formalised counselling session for police personnel, unlike in many other countries where counselling is common, the department has other ways of helping traumatised officers. Peer support, he says, is vital in encounters. “Senior officers of the department make sure that we give a great deal of mental support and comfort to officers who have been in a situation like encounter killings. It is a situation where a person will need emotional upholding from those around him”, he says. He also adds that families of a cop can be a source of great support to officers who go through stress.
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askthedoctor
THE inherited pain of Ankylosing Spondylitis A
nkylosing Spondylitis is an inflammatory disease predominantly affecting the spine, causing severe pain, stiffness and loss of movement. In the later stages, chronic disease can lead to a fusion of the vertebral column resulting in virtual immobility. In addition to the spine, the disease can affect other joints (mainly hips and knee), causing pain, swelling of the affected joints and permanent damage if it is not adequately treated.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES? Ankylosing Spondylitis is believed to be genetically inherited. People with a particular gene called HLA-B27 are at a much higher risk of developing Ankylosing Spondylitis although not everyone with this gene will have the disease. There is no consensus in the medical community as to the other factors that cause the disease; some researchers put it down to a combination of factors ie, genetics and environment.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
While cops are seen as tough men who do not have feelings, the truth remains that they are just as vulnerable to trauma Dr Dev Kumar, a psychologist who runs his own clinic says that when an individual is involved in taking another life, there is bound to be some amount of stress experienced. “An encounter is definitely an anxiety inducing situation and even though cops are trained to be tough, an incident such as shooting another person will definitely affect a person subconsciously. This may lead to unresolved problems over the years and that’s why getting counselled is very important for cops,” says Dr Dev Although the event of an encounter can be stress inducing, police personnel may experience greater stress trying to cope with their everyday lives, says Dr Lakshmi Prabhu, who has personally counselled many cops. He feels that since cops are given adequate training to cope with tough situations and since their shooting at someone in self defense or in an encounter is not a crime, it doesn’t induce as much guilt in them, at least on the surface. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), he says, might be a problem, not for those who have been in an encounter, but for those police personnel whose personalities don’t complement
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Bangalore, Friday, April 10, 2009
LOOKING INSIDE: Apart from the stress involved in an encounter killing, the police have to deal with stressful situations every single day, and that can take its toll, mentally
Alok Kumar
SOME FACTS
Joint Commisioner of Police
Senior officers of the department make sure that we give a great deal of mental support and comfort to officers who have been in a situation like encounter killings.” their current job. He also says that every day can be as much a stressor as an encounter. “When one decides to join this department, there are challenges that await him every single day. The police, especially those in the crime department, may see a disturbing underbelly of the city, which is not easy to deal with. The transition from their lives at work which involves murder, burglary etc to their lives with their family can be difficult for many,” says Dr Prabhu. Some police person-
classact
Quizzing, the domain of intellectuals Quizzing seems set to go the “spelling bee” way as students seem keen to pursue it with the same zeal as they would a sport. Quizmaster Giri Balasubramaniam tells Team DNA that knowledge demonstration has become cool with the college and school-going crowd. he youth community, be it school or college students, are very aware of the fact that knowledge is a saleable commodity. The element of demonstrating one’s intellectual ability attracts many to play games like Sudoku or participate in quiz shows. Knowledge demonstration is now seen as cool among youngsters and is no longer associated with being geeky. The coffee culture has caught on among students, with many flaunting the latest book much like they would any accessory like i-pods or cell-phones. I think the web medium has contributed to that to a large extent. As they fill in forms to join online communities or networking groups, they have to provide information like hobbies, favourite books and music. They are being forced to think on those lines to provide information that will make them popular among their peers. Even the dressing habit of quizzers has seen a change in the last six to eight years. Earlier, you would find the person dressed in simple shirts or kurtas, but know they sport gelled or spiked hair, and have body piercings. This, however, does not take away from the fact that these quizzers are serious about quizzing and can provide some great answers to queries. It just shows that quizzing has become a sport that youngsters want to be seen involved in. Activities like quizzing also add value to the resumes of students at a later stage. Most of them consciously pursue quizzing because they know it carries weight and will be of use on their CVs. Students consciously pursue their aspirations with more vigour than before and hence participate in knowledge-related activities with zeal. Recently, I was asked by an avid quizzer to write her a recommendation letter to accompany her application to Stanford University. Quizzing is as more about one’s mental ability than to learn by rote. It is as much a sport as chess is because it calls into question the thinking and reasoning faculties of a person. The corporate backing it has received has also helped it gain popularity across campuses. Other contests held at colleges, like essay-writing, are yet to become as exuberant as quizzing with prizes being limited to Rs500 vouchers from a bookstore. Students want to be seen winning prizes like Rs1 lakh or Rs75,000. Corporate investment has made quizzing lucrative. Quizzing at schools should be looked at as an alternative tool to educate children and not be used as a yardstick to measure intelligence.
T
Giri Balasubramaniam is a quizmaster and CEO of Grey Caps, a quizzing company
Encounter killing: A euphemism used to describe extra-judicial killings in which police shoot down alleged criminals in gun battles.
The first encounter in the city took place in 1989, when Station Shekhar, an associate of don MP Jairaj, was shot down. nel may also go through sleepless nights and others may resort to drinking for comfort, he adds. According to Dr Prabhu, it is actually the children of policemen who are affected by encounters. While police personnel are trained to be tough and aggressive and may have some sense of achievement in an encounter, children are affected negatively. They may perceive their father to be a person who doesn’t really value life and cops eventually develop tougher
Inflammation of the spine and joints are symptoms associated with the disease. Pain in the lower / mid back, buttocks and neck is usually the initial symptom. Pain is generally worse while resting and more prevalent in the early morning hours resulting in disturbed sleep. It reduces with physical activity and anti-inflammatory pain killers. The onset of pain is generally gradual and worsens over a period of time. In some cases, the progression can be rapid and very disabling.
Dr Dev Kumar, psychologist
WHAT IS THE DIAGNOSIS?
An encounter is definitely an anxietyinducing situation and even though cops are trained to be tough, an incident such as shooting another person will definitely affect a person subconsciously.”
The diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis is based on the patient’s symptoms, a physical examination, X-ray findings and blood tests. The changes on X-ray are apparent only in the later stages of the disease. Magnetic Resonance Scan (MRI) is helpful to diagnose the disease in its early stages and also to delineate the severity.
personalities making their interaction with their children a challenge. Both Dr Dev and Dr Prabhu give counselling for cops a nod saying it will definitely be in favour of the clan. “You need not be sick to undergo therapy and counselling. It will help our police department be more empowered, productive, improve intrapersonal rapport and release internal bonds. If they have enough resources, why not?” asks Dr Prabhu.
WHO IS AFFECTED? Ankylosing Spondylitis is approximately three times more common in men than women. It is generally seen in people with-
PROBLEM AREAS A severe case of the disease can develop into complete fusion of the spine (known as Ankylosis). Once fused, the pain disappears, but spinal mobility is lost resulting in a severely compromised quality of life. The disease could affect the hips and knees resulting in permanent damage. Some patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis develop problems other than in the spine - eye inflammation (uveitis), skin rashes (psoriais) and chronic diarrhoea (inflammatory bowel disease). in the age group of 20 to 40 years. However, in rare cases, it also affects children.
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT? Traditionally, the treatment for Ankylosing Spondylitis involves the use of painkillers, physiotherapy and exercise. These only give partial relief from pain but do not prevent the progression of the disease. Joint replacement surgery is recommended for those with severe hip or knee arthritis. More recently, newer drugs (Biological therapy / anti-TNF therapy) have been discovered. The advent of biological therapy has revolutionised care for patients with this disabling disease. Infliximab (Remicade) and Etanercept (Enbrel) are the two drugs now available in India.
WHAT DOES THE DOCTOR SAY? It is important to diagnose and treat patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis early so as to enable the patient to lead a relatively
normal life. The disease is chronic and hence longterm care is necessary.
More awareness needs to be created among the
medical community and the general public to ensure early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Dr Ramesh Jois, MD, MRCP (UK), CCST (RHEUM - UK), rheumatologist, Wockhardt Hospitals
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New five drug pill clears initial tests in city A city hospital conducted the first clinical trial of the Polycap
Dr Prem Pais St John’s Medical College
We are submitting the data from the research to the drug controller and by June, the medicine is expected to be seen in stores.”
Soumita Majumdar. BANGALORE A combination of five drugs in one capsule — three drugs that treat blood pressure, a statin and an aspirin, form the Polycap. In the world’s first clinical trial conducted by a team of doctors from St John’s Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, it has been revealed that this drug is safe and has the potential to reduce heart disease risk by half. Talking to the media on Thursday, Dr Prem Pais, dean, St John’s Medical College and the head of the division of clin-
ical trials at St John’s Research Institute, said, “Other developing countries are also facing a high rate of heart disease. This, however, is largely preventable. Lifestyle modification is one way to combat it while the other way to control this
is through drugs to reduce the risk factors associated with it, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. And that’s where the Polycap comes in.” The Indian Polycap Study (TIPS) was done over a period of three months. Healthy individuals between the age group of 45 and 80 with only the risk of cardiovascular disease were recruited. The impact of the combination pill was closely observed, especially on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart rate and urinary thromboxane B2, an indicator of the stickiness of blood platelets. “We are submitting the data from the research to the drug controller and, by June, the medicine is expected to be seen in stores,” said Dr Pais.
Cruelty to animals must be punished
Cruelty against animals continues to remain an issue that is ignored Shyama Krishna Kumar. BANGALORE
With the recent mob attacks against stray dogs and other acts of cruelty against animals almost touching epidemic levels in the city, one needs to address the crime quotient of such acts. In many Western states, cruelty against animals, that is, deliberately causing physical harm to animals, is considered punishable by law and can even lead up to a 25 year sentence. In India, according to IPC 429, whoever commits mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless, any elephant, camel, horse, mule, buffalo, bull, cow or ox, whatever may be the value thereof, or any other animal of the value of Rs50 or upwards, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. So it’s not really a case of absence of laws, but merely the lack of enforcement of the same. “The last time someone was given a jail sentence for a cruelty against animals case was eight or nine years ago and the person absconded,” informs Dilip Bafna, managing trustee, Animal Rights Fund, Bangalore. When asked about the law enforcement situation in the case of animal rights, Sudha Narayan, joint secretary, CUPA, Bangalore had this to say, “Very rarely are these laws en-
DOG DAYS: Stray dogs are often provoked into an attack forced. And more importantly, these acts and rules need to be amended because they are all very old and do not apply to present conditions.” Sudheer, from the Karuna Animal Welfare Association, had a similar take, “The fine is a meagre amount. The fine against such actions should be increased, if they have to be stopped.” Organisations like CUPA and Karuna Animal Welfare Association are constantly working to remedy this situation. “We are conducting several awareness and educational progammes to educate the masses against acts of cruelty towards animals,” says Sudheer, secretary, Karuna Animal Welfare Association. Sudha Narayan had practical advice handy, “We have animal welfare inspectors. And these inspectors should be given more policing powers so as to be able to do their jobs more effectively.” So, unless law enforcment agencies wake up things will continue to seem a bit under the weather for the animal population.
m_soumita@dnaindia.net