Using policemen for personal work won’t be allowed: Vijayan

thiruvananthapuram — Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday made it clear that senior police officials won’t be allowed to use policemen for their personal work.

Vijayan made the remarks in the Assembly in reply to a submission by Congress legislator K.S. Sabarinath. Vijayan pointed out that this practice first began during the British Raj and still prevailed seven decades later. “The matter is now being seriously looked into. Strict action will be taken,” said the chief minister.

“The basic human rights of all people will be protected and we promise that the state government will not tolerate any violation.”

Around 2,000 policemen are currently deployed by officials at their homes, and often they end up doing menial work.

Additional Director General of Police Sudesh Kumar, the chief of the Kerala Armed Police Battalion, was shunted out on Saturday following complaints of bad behaviour and violation of rules by him and his family members.

The incident had triggered widespread condemnation from various quarters. It was alleged last week that Kumar’s 27-year-old daughter Snigdha and wife misbehaved with the driver of his official vehicle — policeman Gavaskar.

Kumar’s daughter is accused of abusing Gavaskar and hitting him with her mobile telephone after he reportedly came late to pick them up after their morning walk. He is now warded in the Medical College Hospital.

MLA Sabarinath said Gavaskar and his family hailed from his constituency. “It has now surfaced that the lady hit Gavaskar seven times with her mobile under his eye and on his neck... It was only after 10 hours that the police took a statement from him while the police went and took her statement first,” he said.

A case had been registered against Snigdha under various sections of the IPC based on Gavaskar’s complaint, while he too was booked over her counter complaint. “Crime Branch ADGP is investigating both the complaints lodged by Gavaskar and Snigdha,” Vijayan said.

“There will be no undue delay in the probe,” he added after Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the case should not be allowed to drag on indefinitely.

DGP Loknath Behera had issued an order on Sunday seeking various details of the menial workers, generally known as camp followers and deployed on orderly duties with IAS and IPS officers, judges etc in Kerala.

The details include the camp followers’ sanctioned strength, present head count, their status as permanent or temporary workers besides their current status of deployment with senior officials.