PUDUCHERRY: Thou shall not extort gifts from traders. And thou certainly shall not line up in front of senior officials with sweets, crackers, flowers and other gifts.
When the Lieutenant Governor is former top cop Kiran Bedi, the activist officer who made even the notorious Tihar jail behave, it's not business as usual for the men in khaki in Puducherry, this festival season.
The personnel have been directed explicitly not to indulge in either extortion or currying favour during Deepawali (Diwali). The advisory on gifts came from the police headquarters superintendent IRC Mohan, who issued the circular dated October 19 to all stations in the union territory, including the satellite towns of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam that come under it.
“All officers are directed not to visit the residence of senior officers with or without gifts or even flower bouquets on the occasion of Deepawali. Contravention of the above instruction would be viewed adversely,” read the circular.
Sources said the move came after the recent meeting of police officials convened by Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi, who was a noted senior IPS official before she retired and joined public life as a politician. This directive has caught many officials off guard, with some of them speculating that the LG could have received complaints from traders and businesses about police officials extorting them during festival times.
This is not the first warning. Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, too, had made it clear that stringent action including dismissal from service will be initiated against officials if they collected money or materials from traders in the name of festivals like Ayudha Puja and Deepawali.
Officials whom Express spoke to said Bedi, as a top police officer, must have witnessed several such cases in the past while she was posted in Delhi. “There are not many officials here in Puducherry who follow that kind of gift culture,” said a senior officer. There are a few who greet seniors in person during such occasions, but not everyone, sources claimed.
However, inquiries with local traders revealed that the personnel from each police station collect sweets and crackers in bulk, which is then divided among themselves.