A 34-year-old sub-inspector, who had quit her teaching job to join the force 10 years ago, said she does not want her children to join the Delhi Police because of the constant humiliation.
“When we were joining, our parents did not know that the police had to face this. They did not know that we would be beaten up and no one would stand up for us. I will make sure that my children do not join the force,” said the mother of two, adding that she had joined the force out of passion but now she feels demotivated.
‘Always threatened’
A traffic police officer, who has been in service for 34 years now, said lawyers throw their weight around when stopped for a violation. “Without a second thought, they [lawyers] say that they will have our uniform removed and also take away our job if we penalise them and then we refrain from taking any action against them,” she said.
New Delhi, 05/11/2019. Delhi Police personnel during a protest demostration demanding Justice and action against the lawyer who attacked policemen at the Delhi Police Headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, November 05, 2019. Photo by R V Moorthy / The Hindu
Another sub-inspector said the reason behind the protest is that their uniform’s honour is at stake. “The video of the Saket incident has gone viral. People know that the man who thrashed the officer is yet to be arrested. Who will take us seriously now? We have become a joke. If not now, we would never be able to reclaim our name,” he said. His colleague said his family was scared that he will get beaten up if he stepped out of home in his uniform.
Feeling sympathetic for assistant sub-inspector Pawan Kumar, who had allegedly opened fire in the Tis Hazari incident, a head constable said he should not have been suspended. “The top leadership should have stood their ground. In fact, the officer saved so many lives. If he did not open fire, nearly 50 undertrial prisoners and other officials would have been injured as the lawyers had barged inside the lock-up,” he said.
New Delhi, 05/11/2019. Delhi Police personnel during a protest demostration demanding Justice and action against the lawyer who attacked policemen at the Delhi Police Headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, November 05, 2019. Photo by R V Moorthy / The Hindu
Throughout the day, the police personnel held placards; some of them read: Kaun Sunega! Kisko sunayein! Save the khaki (Who will listen? Whom should we tell? Save the uniform), Delhi High Court taye kare ki police ko kitne der pitne ke baad aapa khona hai (Delhi High Court should decide that after how many beatings should police lose calm).
Meanwhile, a resident of Krishna Nagar, Jaswant Singh, distributed cold drinks to the protesters. “They work for us. We should stand with them,” he said.
