HYDERABAD: A Hyderabad-based NGO that works for consumer rights, Forum Against Corruption, has filed a PIL in the SC against the ‘illegal’ working standards of policemen across the country. In their petition, the forum has demanded that the government ensure those police officers work only for eight hours a day, and also get overtime pay, if they work longer.
According to the president of the forum, Vijay Gopal, they have filed the PIL based on several reports that show that the police force in the country has poor working standards. Recently, 29-year-old Siddhanthi Pratap, a constable posted in the Charminar PS resigned from his job, as he claimed he was depressed due to the long working hours and slow career growth.
“As these police personnel are exhausted and irritated due to overwork, their frustration manifests in the offensive conduct and behaviour with the public. It is because one police person is doing the work of three. This is a violation of one’s fundamental rights. The condition is worse for constables, home guards and other lower rank officers,” said Vijay. According to a study, ‘National Requirement of Manpower for eight-hour Shift in Police Stations’, carried out by Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), 90 per cent of police officers work for more than eight hours a day, and 73 per cent do not get a weekly-off even once a month. They also get called for emergency duties on their rare off-days.
The study also found that nearly 30 per cent to 40 per cent staff reported that the current working hours led to various health problems. In the petition, the forum demands the government to ensure that the police officers work only eight hours a day, get overtime pay and a weekly- off.
The petition will be heard later this week in the Supreme Court, according to Vijay. There are 29 parties in the case, including the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Bureau of Police Research & Development.
“We hear residents accuse the police force of being inefficient, rude and corrupt, however, we are quick to dismiss that the same force is overworked and understaffed,” commented he.