Assam Police (Amendment) Bill 2022 seeks to amend Assam Police Act. The bill proposes to amend sections of the Assam Police Act, 2007, on the establishment, power, and functions of the District Accountability Authority.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Party Congress and Sivasagar’s lone Independent MLA, Akhil Gogoi, walked out of the Assam Assembly on Monday after the government refused to forward a bill to a select committee to amend parts of the Police Act on the last day of the autumn session.
The Assembly later passed the Assam Police (Amendment) Bill, 2022. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika introduced the bill in the House on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who also holds the Home and Political departments.
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Moreover, Akhil Gogoi also opposed this provision, claiming that it would allow police officials to cover up mistakes made by their own officers.
As the government moved forward with the bill’s passage, Congress members and Gogoi staged a walkout.
Later, the amendment bill was approved by a majority voice vote.
The Assam Police (Amendment) Bill proposes to amend the relevant sections of the Assam Police Act, 2007 (as amended) pertaining to the establishment, power, and functions of the District Accountability Authority in order to make the District Accountability Authority functional in a police range consisting of a group of police districts.
One Police Force of the State: According to the act “The entire police establishment under the State Government shall, for the purpose of this Act, be deemed to be one Police Force and shall be formally enrolled and shall consist of such members of officers and men, and shall be constituted in such manner, as shall from time to time be ordered by the State Government.”
It also stated that” An Act to provide for impartial and efficient Police Service safeguarding the interests of the people making the Police Force professionally organized, service-oriented and accountable to the law.”
