[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n any country or state, the security forces are supposed to be the most disciplined. Various branches of the security forces have various duties and functions. For instance, the regular army is primarily for Defence of the nation while the para military forces have a dual role to be on stand by status as also to deal with the law and order problem along with the police force.It is in this context that it is discouraging to know that Nagaland police department has so many anomalies. The latest is the grievances of the directly recruited UBSIs (Unarmed Branch Sub-Inspectors) who have submitted several representations to the Police Headquarters (PHQ) to look into the discrepancies between the armed branch and unarmed branch Sub-Inspectors of the Nagaland Police but the status quo remains.
The UBSIs lament that their share of promotion to UBI (Unarmed Branch Inspector) has been denied so far. Their contention is that the police department had recruited UBSIs and ABSIs in combined examinations in 1997. Candidates who scored better were made UBSIs while others were appointed ABSIs—clearly a proof that the unarmed ones rank higher in the hierarchy than the armed ones.
What has happened, however, is that over the years the ABSIs were promoted to the next higher rank, that is, AB Inspectors while those of the unarmed branch who were recruited along with them were passed over for promotion. On top of that, some ABIs are now due for promotion to the rank of Deputy Superintendent.
To add salt to their grievances, the policy of promoting directly recruited UBSIs and their colleagues who were promoted from the lower ranks on a 50:50 basis has not been followed. So also the central promotional test (CPT) of Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) after completion of three years of service has also not been adhered to. As a consequence, some ASIs with 18 years of service are still awaiting the call for the test.
Another anomaly is that senior Sub-Inspectors who are yet to be promoted take it as an insult to take orders from juniors who have superseded them—all because of apparent slackness of the powers that be who are to maintain uniformity not only in service uniform and discipline but in the administrative aspect as well, This will adversely affect morale and thus eventually hamper the smooth functioning of the police department.
Of late, it has also been learnt that police personnel apprehended other police personnel carrying cases of IMFL and that too in an official police Gypsy! A year or so ago, an entire Tata truck of the police fully loaded with cases of IMFL was seized at the Lahorijan gate by the police on duty there. In addition, police personnel at the check gates on the highways have been accused of their own style of taxation from the traveling public.
The most recent case is the imbroglio in the premises of the State Bank of India (SBI), Tuensang. Here a policeman on duty had an argument with a fellow policeman who went there to withdraw money but stood behind at the end of the ladies’ queue and they both came to blows on Friday August 30.
This is not meant to point fingers at the police department as a whole. On the contrary, the Nagaland Police including the IRB have done well during their duties assigned to them in the State or in New Delhi and Chhatisgarh. In fact, the services of the IRB are in much in demand in other States as well.
What is imperative now is that whatever discrepancies exist within the police, be cleared up forthwith so that the public will reaffirm faith in the adage that “Caesar’s wife must be above reproach.”
