You are posted as Superintendent of Police (SP) in a district, which has a bustling market in the district headquarters with a high footfall. The area has traditionally been occupied by street vendors and hawkers. They form an intrinsic part of the market system in the area and derive their livelihood from it. Recently, you got reports that the policemen posted in the area harass the hawkers and also extort 'hafta' - a weekly bribe - from them despite complying with the laws. It has been brought to your notice that while those who comply with this arrangement are allowed to carry on with their daily operations, those who do not are being evicted from the market area. In the process of eviction, they are even physically assaulted and their saleable items are often confiscated and destroyed. As a result, some street vendors have been staging protests against the local administration in the market and have blocked the normal market passage. They have also threatened to intensify their protest over a period of time. The local police, however, has been in denial of any such wrong doings and argue that they are merely removing illegal encroachments, which were causing traffic jam in the area. In this situation, answer the following: (a) Mention the stakeholders and ethical issues involved in the case. (b) As the Superintendent of Police, what course of action would you adopt for diffusing the tensions in the area? Also, suggest some policy recommendations, which will help resolve the issues in the long-term.

Ethical Mapping

1. Exploitation of weaker section of people
2. social justice
3. Right to livelihood (Article 21, 19)
4. Law and order in society
5. Probity in governance
6. integrity, Honesty

a) stakeholders involved here & their interests

• Extortion of 'hafta' & harassment
• forceful eviction from area | | 2. Local Police | - Allyed to extortion & exploitation of street vendors
• Oversee order in society
• Removal of illegal encroachment | | 3. SP & govt administration | - Overall law & order
• strict action against erroneous policemen
• stability & peaceful environment for prosperity | | 4. Customers | - Getting affected by such eviction
• Also traffic jam | | 5. society at large | - social justice
• Right to livelihood & order in society |

Ethical issues involved here are:- i) Right to livelihood of street hawkers & vendors getting affected. ii) social justice - exploitation of weaker section. iii) Law guardians themselves breaking law - high-handedness of police. iv) protests by these affected street vendors. v) collusive corruption - instead of coming together some gave in to demands of hafta. vi) local police denying such claims.

b) As the SP, the following course of action will be taken:-

1. Knowing & understanding the real ground situation :- He must set up committee to enquire whether allegations against the police are true or not. Also find out the erroneous policemen in this & collect evidence against them.
2. The enquiry must be done in an unbiased & fair manner. It must take into consideration the views of both sides.
3. Based on such findings of report, if policemen are guilty, strict action must be taken against them. At the same time, sensitisation of police that such misuse of power will not be tolerated.
4. At the same time, vendors must be registered under street vendors Act, 2014. Awareness campaigns giving them information about their rights & duties to be done.
5. They must be told that they have no right to jam roads & harass local people. Instead of protests, they must use the grievance redressal mechanism of the state.
6. A helpline can be set up to take up grievances at the earliest.

Policy Recommendations for long-term:-

1. Earmarked street vending zones where they can freely exercise their right to livelihood.
2. Awareness generation drives to tell them about health standards, clean practices to be followed.
3. Making up of a Market committee having representation from all stakeholders to take care of day to day business.
4. Registration of hawkers and online grievance redressal mechanism.
5. Roping in NGO, civil society etc for their help.
6. Effective policing - sensitisation training, misuse of power strictly punished. setting up good examples of policing so that community respects & honours them.