India, Oct. 25 -- When does a senior police officer turn corrupt? The answer is simple - when he knows he has nothing to fear.

When he knows corruption will pay. When he knows he will be shielded. When he knows he can defend himself - and others will defend him too. When he knows his partners in crime fear him more than the law. When he knows others dare not expose him, for he could spill their secrets as well.

That is when the rot sets in. And once it sets in, it spreads quietly - until one day, the mask falls.

The recent exposure of a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer - a deputy inspector general (DIG) caught red-handed and now in prison - has further jolted public faith yet again. But the real question is not how this offic...