THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Resentment is brewing within the state police association against former DGP R Sreelekha’s remarks in a television interview on the alleged harassment woman personnel faced during her service.
In a Facebook post, C R Biju, the general secretary of the Kerala Police Officers Association, on Monday slammed the state’s first woman DGP for her allegations that could affect the morale of woman cops. On behalf of the association, Biju criticised her double standards alleging that Sreelekha did nothing against the top police officers — as she claimed —who harassed woman subordinates while in service but was levelling charges against the officers after retirement. He asked the former DGP not to degrade the entire police force.
His Facebook post has already received mixed responses. The former top cop, however, is yet to respond to the police association’s criticism.
“Madame has said that a DIG had mistreated a woman sub-inspector. The question remains as to what action madame took. Even if such an event had taken place, we would be convinced that it had taken place in the early 1990s. If there is any basis for this statement, Madame was irresponsible in covering it up,” Biju wrote.
He pointed out that police personnel takes up duty, irrespective of whether it is day or night, and that women officers in Kerala are highly regarded. “There are situations where woman police officers are called to the stations even in the middle of the night for cases in which their presence is unavoidable."
"Madame had to keep in mind that such allegations could possibly adversely affect the families of female police officers. I would like to proudly say that the women officers of the Kerala Police have the courage to face such situations,” he said.