Don’t Fear the Immigrants

Maj. Gen. Atanu Pattanaik (retd)

In Fort Rucker, Alabama where I was attending the Advance Aviation Course in 1997, we would have a lunch break at 12.30 pm and reassemble at 3 pm for two more classes. One of those afternoons in July, there was an unusually heavy spell of shower. As I parked my car in the parking lot, I simply got out, slammed the door and ran for the foyer. Then I realised to my horror that not only the headlights were left on but also the car keys were left inside. The car battery would die soon and the doors were shut by the automatic locking system.

My American army aviation friends immediately understood the situation and consoled me not to worry. One said he was calling the police. “Oh my God. NO” I blurted out, saying that I didn’t do anything knowingly. It troubled me no end to imagine a police report being filed and maybe a copy endorsed to the Indian embassy in Washington DC and consequently a possible withdrawal from the course. He assured me that “they have instruments to break open car doors and retrieve the keys”. I didn’t have much choice.

A police patrol car duly pulled up. An officer in Stetson hat studied the situation, pushed the window glass down with a jack and opened the door. Handing me back my car keys after switching off the headlights, he asked me politely if anything else was needed. I just managed to mumble a thank you and walked back to the class trying to comprehend the events.

Back in India, contact with the police was to be avoided like the plague. They are known for their routine harsh treatment of ordinary citizens and it is generally a herculean task even to file a genuine complaint. The experiences of many are such that they feel as if they are criminals and not complainants. My psyche was tuned and tempered to avoid the police as far as possible and hence my reaction that day in the US, where citizens routinely seek police assistance for sundry situations.

Citizen Partnership

Depending on where they come from, and what kind of situation prevails there in terms of law and order, criminal justice system, socio-economic conditions and culture, citizens establish a particular relationship with the state and its instruments like tax collection agencies, municipal service providers and law enforcement agencies such as the police.

When immigrants settle in a foreign land, they carry with them those atti