Members of the Tamil Nadu Special Police Youth Brigade, pressed into service in February to assist the police force, are slowly quitting the service owing to poor work conditions.
Delayed salaries, long hours of work, lack of identification cards, no weekly offs or medical leave and a single set of uniform and boots, are only some of the problems they face. Over 2,000 recruits posted in Chennai and the rest of the State have quit the force, so far.
The formation of the youth brigade was announced in the Assembly in October 2012, and applications were invited through the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board the following year.
Written examination and fitness tests were conducted, and 10,500 candidates were selected. They underwent regular police training except weapons exercise. The maiden batch was inducted this March.
The men were posted across the State. In Chennai, 2,263 were drafted in the armed reserve, law and order and traffic divisions.
The men toil alongside the regular police personnel (the Madras High Court had ruled in March 2014 that the youth brigade is not a police force) but claim they are being denied basic amenities as per labour laws, including weekly offs and medical leave.
A recruit posted in the city said their monthly salary of Rs. 7,500 is often paid only by the middle of the month or sometimes after the 20th.
“We have no identification card or shoulder numeral and therefore, we are not eligible for any of the perks enjoyed by police personnel,” said another recruit who lost Rs. 500 from last month’s pay as he was unable to report for duty, for two days.
Recruits from the districts, posted in cities and towns, have a tougher time managing rent and food expenses.
State police sources say the department is well aware of the crisis in the youth brigade and the grievances have been brought to the notice of the authorities concerned.
“The youth brigade is an experimental unit floated by the State government, and there may be some flaws in the initial stages. The authorities, along with the senior police officers, will gradually rectify the minor problems,” said a senior officer in charge of the brigade.
