Dead serious

Here's a unique way of combating a professional misdemeanour. Last November, one person was shot dead after police fired ostensibly in self-defence to disperse an unruly crowd at Tehatta in West Bengal's Nadia district. Many held local Sub-Divisional Police Officer Shailesh Shah responsible, especially after TV footage confirmed his presence during the carnage. Writers' Building was also unhappy with him - a fact that was reflected in the state government's inquiry report. Not that this has chastened Shah one bit. Instead, he decided to take the civil services exam again. The last time his rank qualified him for the police service but this time he has been ranked high enough to join the Indian Administrative Service. That may be one way to buck the system, but there's still the small issue of obtaining a release letter from the state government before he can join the coveted service.