BHOPAL: Fourteen newly recruited Madhya Pradesh police constables, including 13 women, who were on the verge of completing their nine-month-long basic training course at the Police Training College (PTC) in Indore, are in trouble for allegedly faking and fabricating documents to obtain leave under the false pretext of preparing for and appearing in government exams.
A preliminary enquiry conducted by Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Training of MP Police, Nimisha Pandey, has established that the 14 trainee constables fabricated or forged documents to obtain leave on false grounds. As a result, they have been disqualified from the training—just around 10 days before its completion—relegated, and sent back to their original units (places of joining).
Their respective unit heads will now conduct departmental enquiries (DEs) against them and take further disciplinary action.
However, the trainees are not the only ones facing consequences. Departmental proceedings will also be initiated against the supervisory staff of the PTC-Indore, including two deputy superintendent of police (DSP)-rank officers, who sanctioned the leaves without properly verifying the documents.
The 14 trainee constables, part of the 77th batch of state police constables, include 13 graduates, all women. Four among them had secured their positions in the MP Police on compassionate grounds due to the death of a parent or spouse.
A majority—nine of the trainees—had been inducted into field units in the state capital, Bhopal, before commencing the mandatory nine-month training. Two others were from Gwalior district, while the remaining trainees were from the police units in Sagar, Mandla, and Betul districts.
According to the circular issued by the Director General of Police (DGP), every new constable is required to undergo a rigorous nine-month basic training course, comprising two semesters of 4.5 months each, at various police training institutions across Madhya Pradesh.
The circular permits a seven-day break between the two semesters. Additionally, a maximum of five days' leave may be sanctioned by the in-charge of the respective training facility on valid grounds. If a trainee had applied for any government exam prior to joining the police force, the unit head (i.e., the officer of the unit where the trainee was posted before training) can grant up to ten days' leave to prepare for and appear in the exam.
However, the preliminary enquiry revealed that none of the 14 trainees had applied for the exams for which they had sought leave. Instead, they tampered with and fabricated permission letters originally issued to other trainees, and used these forged documents to obtain leave ranging from two to seven days.
“The preliminary enquiry has established that the 14 trainees faked original documents (permission letters of other trainees) and obtained leave through fraudulent means,” said Additional Director General (ADG) Training of State Police, Raja Babu Singh, while speaking to The New Indian Express.
“Not only are the 14 trainees responsible for this misconduct, but the supervisory staff at PTC-Indore will also face action for dereliction of duty by approving the leave without verifying the documents,” he added.
