Sullen despondency grips police force

By K. Srinivas Reddy

HYDERABAD, AUG. 23. The rule of the game is absolute secrecy. There won't be any pats on the back publicly for the successes notched. But, there was this carrot dangled before them - an acceleratory promotion for exemplary work in anti-extremist operations.

With the incentive of upgrading epaulets or winning shoulder stripes on their minds, police forces worked relentlessly and came out with `outstanding successes'.

But now the same policemen and officers - marked men for naxalites because of their field operations - are vowing not to take up any more such assignments. Reason, the bosses have backed out on their promise of promotions citing bureaucratic wrangles and court litigation.

The disinterest of such men is apparent and appears to have had a devastating impact on the morale of forces, especially those working in the Telangana districts, where the extremist problem is acute. The forces, senior officers concede in private, are `demotivated' and nothing seems to arouse the `fighting spirit' in them.

A sullen mood of disappointment and despondency is prevalent among the police force in these districts as examples of officers and men not being promoted are told and retold. "There is no point in fighting the naxalites with zeal as there is little recognition for such work", a police officer summed up the prevalent feeling.

Even the satisfaction of getting a personal pat from the police chief, Mr. H.J. Dora, and a cash reward handed over at the periodic meetings organised in Hyderabad, have lost their charm.

"The top brass should not stand up on their promises. Their continued silence on clearing acceleratory promotions has frustrated the deserving candidates," an IPS officer concedes.

Senior officers blame red-tapism in the Secretariat for the inordinate delay in getting some legal hurdles cleared. Three years ago, some Sub-Inspectors moved the Administrative Tribunal challenging a Government order on acceleratory promotions. Their contention was that the service rules did not have the provision of awarding such promotions and that the GO was purely an executive order.

Their argument was mere posting in extremist areas and work done thereof should not be a criterion for clearing out of turn promotions. The tribunal gave an injunction restraining the Government for giving any acceleratory promotions. After much administrative wrangles, the law department advised the Government to amend the service rules directly so that those who worked in extremist fields could be given promotions.

"An order on these lines would be issued shortly", was how the DGP, Mr. H.J. Dora, put it when asked about the controversy over the held-up promotions. On a rough estimate, about 150 officers and men have been waiting for promotions for the last 18 months. The list includes those officers and men who played a key roles in `spectacular' actions.

The exchanges of fire in Kaukonda of Warangal, with Rachakonda and Kanagal squads in Nalgonda, Panagal squad in Mahaboobnagar, the killing of a special action team (allegedly responsible for the killing of Minister A. Madhava Reddy and IPS officer Umesh Chandra) in Hyderabad and several other incidents in Telangana districts can be counted in this category.

The administrative paralysis that has set in at the decision- making level is best exemplified in the functioning of the Incentive Awards Committee, which is supposed to grant advance increments to those who turned out good work in the anti- extremist field.

When a recommendation for giving advance increments to some officers and men were put up in May 2000, the files were kept pending for want of signature of a top IPS officer till May 2001. After the officer appended his signature and the files came up for examination, the committee turned them down citing a rule that advance increments should be given within one year of the good work done!

"This shows the IPS officers' interest in their subordinates welfare," a police officer shrugs, insisting on anonymity. And, pray what caused the delay? Sources in the Secretariat maintained that instead of the files being cleared immediately, they were kept pending as an officer was expected to sign on five pages for each recommendation.

Ultimately, when the meeting was convened the signatures were appended, but the committee turned down all the applications on the technicality.

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Section  : Southern States
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