In April this year, Trinadh, a home guard posted at Harbour Police Station, died in an accident near Kancharapalem while returning home from duty.
It has been four months and his family members have not received any compensation from the government. And his wife, despite running from pillar to post, has not been given any job.
The only compensation the family has received is the individual contributions made by Trinadh’s comrades-in-arms.
All the 800-odd home guards have donated a day’s salary to the bereaved family.
There is no provision of compensation for home guards, or, for that matter, PF, ESI or any kind of insurance scheme.
This is despite the personnel being given the same duty as any other constable in the police force.
“We are given duties in Law and Order enforcement, crime investigation, traffic regulation, VVIP security, and bandobust. But we are not treated on a par with men in the police force,” says N. Rama Krishna Yadav, secretary, A.P. State Home Guards’ Welfare Association.
In Andhra Pradesh, there are about 15,200 home guards. In Visakhapatnam, their strength is about 1,190 under the Commissionerate and another 690 under the district police.
Home Guards was originally raised as a voluntary and auxiliary force to the police in 1946 under the Home Guards Act and Rules of States and Union Territories, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and later reorganised in 1962 after Sino-Indian war.
“It was initially a voluntary force and men in service joined to serve the organisation. But later, it was given a relook with proper recruitment procedure, which included a rigorous physical activity on a par with police constable recruitment such as 800 m and 100 m run, high jump, long jump, and shot-put. We also have to undergo a 45-day training regime,” says Mr. Rama Krishna Yadav.
“Home guards are not given their due. They are paid a paltry sum of Rs. 300 per day, which amounts to Rs. 9,000 per month. They do not enjoy any leave. A day’s absent means losing Rs. 300,” said Suryanarayana, who has put in over three decades service as home cuard constable.
In Telangana, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has increased the pay from Rs. 300 to Rs. 400 per day and has promised to regularise the services of the force from the next year.
“In Andhra Pradesh, we are yet to receive last month’s salary. And this despite Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu speaking of regularisation in the last election manifesto,” Mr. Rama Krishna Yadav told The Hindu .
We are given duties in Law and Order enforcement, crime investigation, traffic regulation, VVIP security, and bandobust
