Here’s the Reuters report in the NYT Mob Stones India Police After Rites for Muslims Killed in Mosque Blast

HYDERABAD, India, May 19 (Reuters) — At least two policemen were injured here on Saturday when a mob pelted them with stones after the burial of victims of an explosion at a mosque and of violent clashes that ensued…Hundreds of people were returning Saturday after burying the dead when they started stoning police officers who had escorted them to the burial ground.

The officers fired eight rounds in the air and used tear gas to disperse the mob.

“Beat the police,” “Allah is great,” the protesters chanted…The police fanned out in Muslim-dominated quarters of the city to prevent a repeat of the riots that unfolded after the blast, when the estimated 8,000 worshippers in the mosque poured out and attacked anything that came their way.

Thats still not enough for a middle class existence in a city like Bombay. Most cops there live in slums and might have the local gangster as their neighbour or even a childhood friend.

and unfortunately, the attack still succeeded in this case partly because of the following:

Minority Affairs Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that the police had withdrawn surveillance cameras and horse-mounted police which were deployed near Mecca Masjid every Friday on the request of Muslim elected representatives and religious leaders as they alleged that Muslims coming to prayers were being frisked and checked as if they were unsocial elements. link

Just so you know, I am in partial agreement. Whatever cops are paid, we should expect them not to steal, carry out vendettas based on their caste/religious affiliation, extort, harass women..this is a given. But for competency in handling things beyond the mundane(i.e. petty theft, domestic violence, homicide while drunk on country liquor)and handling something of national (and possibly internatl) import, recruiters will have to offer more than $2,400 per annum to draw people away from call centers & other BCOMM degree holder type jobs that are now offering upwards of $4k a year. I would like to see the same type of professionalism depicted in the TV show Dragnet….”Just the facts bhen/begum”. Basically someone with the demeanor of an IBM account exec but with a gun and lathi and some CSI type skills. Anyway this is a whole other thread, I hope state/central government/judiciary and handle this professionally and deliver justice for the victims, whoever the villain in this case may be.

You should first define “middle class existence”. I can tell you that there are literally hundreds of thousands of youth who can take the job with the same salary as it is offered now if these cops decide to quit for economic reasons. Do you know the pay scale?. http://cbi.nic.in/Recruitments/RecruitmentRules.htm

HEAD CONSTABLE Group C Sanctioned Strength: 459 Pay Scale: Rs.3200-85-4900/- Forty percent posts of Head Constables are filled up by promotion by seniority-cum-fitness basis of the Constables with at least 5 years’ regular service the grade in CBI. Forty percent posts are filled up through Limited Departmental Competitive Examination. Remaining twenty percent are filled up by deputation/absorption. CONSTABLE Group C Sanctioned Strength: 1808 Pay Scale: Rs.3050-75-3950-80-4590/- Forty percent posts of Constables are filled up by direct recruitment. Remaining sixty percent posts are filled up by deputation/absorption. The direct recruitment of Constables in CBI, is made on centralized basis by CBI Head Office. Their selection is made by the Committee constituted by the Director, CBI.

This is the Basic Pay, govt. employess typically get what is called Dearness Allowance (don’t know what that means) plus other allowances that would make a constable earn atleast Rs 8000 p/m. That’s pretty decent when you compare that with what others earn.

Wrong.. On official salary alone local low level cops won’t be able to lead middle class existence in cities. They are willing to take those positions because they can supplement their official salary with bribes.