POLICE-Free from All Restraints

National Misadventure BOTH the ruling party and the opposition are abetting a national adventure in self-delusion when they unanimously agree on increasing defence expenditure. India's successful test firing of the Prithvi surface-to-surface tactical battlefield missile system was hailed by all the political parties as a great achievement since with it India joined the select group of four nations who have developed sut- face-to-surfaee missiles. But to the public's query about how much is being diverted from the tax-payer's pockets to the manufacturing of these expensive and murderous weapons, the government refuses to divulge anything. During the concluding week of the last Lok Sabha session, the minister of state for defence told members that it would not be in the public interest to give details of expenditure incurred on the missile system.