Abodh Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 1: Police bosses are sulking over their diminishing protocol in the administrative set up that has changed quite a bit during the last decade, inadvertently bringing the men in khaki much below their civilian counter parts.
Sources divulge that while the professional compulsions restrain them from ventilating their feelings, anguish is brewing amongst the police officers over complete violation of warrant of precedence, relegating them to a position much below they deserve in hierarchy of administrative protocol.
While in district administration, District Superintendents of Police were considered at par with the Deputy Commissioners, the civilian officers were placed higher as they were also designated as the District Magistrates. Similarly, till about two decades back, when DIGs of Police headed zones, they were considered at par with the Divisional Commissioners in the civil administration; but eventually, IGPs were designated as Zonal heads and four to five DIGs were deputed as Range heads under them while Divisional Commissioner remained only one, again relegating the protocol of the DIGs.
In the present scenario, the district SSPs are being placed below even the Additional DCs, bringing the district police heads under these officers. During the administrative meetings of the district and divisional level, the diminishing protocol of Police is quite evident from the manner in which the officers are allocated seats with respect to the chair. "There were times when the DC and the SSP used to co chair the meetings at the districts, but now the civilian officers are placed higher in protocol setting aside the warrant of precedence," said a retired police officer.
Sources divulge that certain officers who cared about their protocol and asserted their position have even refused to attend meetings demanding their due protocol. "A DIG who headed Jammu-Kathua range in the recent past and has now joined BJP, candidly refused to participate in a meeting called by the Divisional Commissioner Jammu, questioning his protocol," an officer stated, adding, " eminent police officers of yesteryears like late L D Thakur, Peer Ghulam Hassan Shah, MM Khajuria, TR Kalra, SS Wazir, Masood Choudhary and SM Sahai and DGP K Rajendra in the present lot have cared not only for the dignity and position of their chair, but also that of their subordinate officers. "
Meanwhile, increasing insensitivity to this effect is on display in the press notes of the Department of Information, wherein, the police officers are mentioned after the officers of civil administration who are otherwise junior to them in classification. "Certain police officers are themselves responsible for this degradation as they accept and publically convey the superiority of the officers of civil administration who should follow them in protocol," said another officer. |
