Four kinds of work, according to the chapter and Fig. 6.6. What they do In the chapter’s words Enforce the law and keep the peace “Maintaining law and order within each state”; Fig. 6.6: “Enforce the law, maintain peace, protect citizens” Investigate crime and take cases to court Fig. 6.6: “investigate and present cases to the judiciary”. They “work closely with courts, prisons, and other parts of the criminal justice system” Protect citizens Ensure “that people live in a safe and secure environment, free from crime and violence” Work for social change “Beyond crime control, the police contribute to social change by promoting safety, justice, and a better quality of life. For example, awareness programs on road safety, drug abuse, and women’s safety are part of their work” And one thing they must not do. “However, they must respect and protect the rights guaranteed under the Constitution.” The power to use force comes with that limit attached. Notice the division of labour in Fig. 6.6: the police investigate and present a case; they do not decide it. The arrow in the diagram runs from Police to Judiciary, and it is the court that judges. That separation is what keeps the person who catches you from also being the person who punishes you.

NCERT Solutions for Class 7th Social Science Chapter 18 The box ‘People, police, and the government’, and Fig. 6.6 — In-text Questions

Book page 147 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.

Are they a part of the government?

Answer

Yes. The police are part of the executive, and specifically part of the state government. The chapter says it directly: “The police in India are responsible for maintaining law and order within each state. They are part of the state government and work directly with local communities in towns, cities, and villages.”

Which organ, and which level.

Organ: the executive. Their job is to enforce laws, not to make them (that is the legislature) and not to decide guilt (that is the judiciary). Fig. 6.6 shows the police inside the circle of government, receiving direction from the executive.
Level: the state government. That is why the chapter later lists “police” among the subjects state governments take care of (page 163).

Why the police are called “agents of the state”: the chapter says they “are agents of the state who can legally use force”. Ordinary people may not use force on each other; the state may, through the police, and only for a purpose — “to ensure that people live in a safe and secure environment, free from crime and violence.” This is what page 151 calls the state’s claim to “the legitimate use of power, for example, through control by the police and taxation”.

Q2.

What do they do?

Answer

Four kinds of work, according to the chapter and Fig. 6.6.

What they do	In the chapter’s words
Enforce the law and keep the peace	“Maintaining law and order within each state”; Fig. 6.6: “Enforce the law, maintain peace, protect citizens”
Investigate crime and take cases to court	Fig. 6.6: “investigate and present cases to the judiciary”. They “work closely with courts, prisons, and other parts of the criminal justice system”
Protect citizens	Ensure “that people live in a safe and secure environment, free from crime and violence”
Work for social change	“Beyond crime control, the police contribute to social change by promoting safety, justice, and a better quality of life. For example, awareness programs on road safety, drug abuse, and women’s safety are part of their work”

And one thing they must not do. “However, they must respect and protect the rights guaranteed under the Constitution.” The power to use force comes with that limit attached.

Notice the division of labour in Fig. 6.6: the police investigate and present a case; they do not decide it. The arrow in the diagram runs from Police to Judiciary, and it is the court that judges. That separation is what keeps the person who catches you from also being the person who punishes you.

Q3.

Do citizens have any control over them?

Answer

Not directly — no citizen gives orders to a police officer — but yes, through the same machinery that controls the rest of the government. Fig. 6.6 is drawn to show exactly this: the whole circle of legislature, executive, police and judiciary sits inside a ring labelled PEOPLE at the top and PEOPLE at the bottom.

The four routes shown or named in the chapter.

Through elections. The outer ring says people “elect leaders to represent them”. Those elected representatives form the state government, and the police are part of that government — so the ministers answerable to the legislature are answerable for the police.
Through the law itself. The legislature makes the laws the police must enforce, and the police can act only within them.
Through the courts. The side panel of Fig. 6.6 reads: “The Constitution, laws and courts protect people’s rights and ensure justice.” If a citizen’s rights are violated, the chapter’s own rule applies — “If fundamental rights are violated, we can go to court to address the violations” (page 160).
Through the rights themselves. “They must respect and protect the rights guaranteed under the Constitution.” The police may use force, but the Constitution sets the boundary, and page 150 explains why: without such limits, “elected members and government officers might use their power unchecked, which would threaten citizens’ rights.”

The everyday tools from later in the chapter also apply — a complaint to a grievance redressal office, an RTI request about how a department works, or raising an issue through the media or a civil society organisation (pages 157–160).

Why control is indirect rather than direct: a police force that took orders from whoever complained loudest would be useless — and dangerous. So the design puts the control one step away: the people control the government, the government directs the police, and the courts check both. Slower, but it means the force is answerable to law rather than to pressure.

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