Police stations across the State marked cent per cent attendance on Saturday, a day when they were to go on ‘mass leave’ to demand better salaries and working conditions.
Early on Saturday morning, senior police officials and deputy commissioners of police began their rounds in their respective jurisdictions to ensure that no staff member from their division participates in any protest.
All developments were closely monitored by the Commissioner of Police, Director-Generals of Police and Inspector-Generals of Police.
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Though top cops had assessed the situation a day before the scheduled ‘mass leave’ and confirmed that it would not happen, they had made elaborate security arrangements.
To ensure that law and order in the State was not disturbed, the police administration deployed 13 companies of Central Reserve Police Force, Railway Protection Force and other Central forces, apart from 11,000 Home Guards across the State.
The police had also deployed traffic wardens and civil defence personnel to assist the traffic policemen on junctions to manage the traffic. Security was heightened at the police quarters across the State to ensure that the families of the police personnel also did not participate in any protest.
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Earlier, the Karnataka government had invoked ESMA against personnel who go on ‘mass leave’ and threatened to evict them from their quarters if their families participated in the protest instead of them.
At the same time, the government had also assured that they would be given weekly offs on a regular basis and their grievances would be looked into in a time-bound manner.
On Friday, top police officials had visited housing quarters of police constables to hear their grievances.
CM thanks police
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in Mysuru on Saturday, thanked the constables for not resorting to ‘mass leave’ and reiterated that the demands of the constabulary will be looked into.