Call it fate or coincidence, at a time when the alleged mistreatment of Army and paramilitary jawans continues to be in news, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have met a similar fate.
The cops in the restive state have been deprived of basic amenities and are doing domestic chores at their masters’ residences. And no, this is not just another allegation made by the victimized cops. In fact an “official” order issued by the Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid has formally admitted the plight of these cops.
The order clearly states that different quarters have complained that the cops who have been posted for the protection of politicians and senior officers are often made to do various household chores, including cooking. It has also been reported in the order that basic amenities like washrooms, toilets, and proper accommodations are not provided by to police guards. Police personnel deployed with statuary authorities are put to menial and irrelevant assignments which is highly dubious and raises questions on the organisational fabric in general, the order said.
However, the same order also smartly downplayed these startling revelations about the plight of cops as it aims at highlighting deterrence rather than the abuse. The DGP said that the protected politicians and officers in Jammu and Kashmir shall lose their security cover if the policemen guarding them are made to do menial chores and deprived of basic amenities.
“It shall be ensured that no police personnel deployed on guard and PSO duty is put to menial work by the concerned protected person and officers. In the case of any deviation, the concerned person shall face departmental action and facility of the guard and PSO provided shall be withdrawn,” the DGP said in the orders.
According to the Sources, the orders were issued amid inputs that the victimized cops were likely to follow footsteps of their counterparts from paramilitary and Army who vented out their anger on the social media to expose the ill-treatment they allegedly face.
But the complaints of abuse in Jammu and Kashmir Police are nothing new. In 2014, the son of a top police officer posted a series of photographs on Instagram showing his father’s apparent “abuse” of power. One of these photographs showed a man — apparently a policeman — sitting near the feet of Deputy Inspector General of Police Shakeel Beig and helping him put on his shoes. The caption with the photograph , posted by Beig’s son, said: “Real king – My Dad!! Last time he put his shoes himself was almost 15 years ago #BossLife #King xx.”
Besides the complaints of abuse within the police force, its often alleged that the politicians and bureaucrats exploit security personnel provided to them for domestic work. In fact these cops are so busy washing clothes and dropping kids to school or driving “Mem Sahib for shopping” that providing security is often their secondary job!
