KOCHI: The police department has informed the Kerala High Court that ‘camp followers’ are not deployed for domestic work of IPS officers and that there is no slavery in the force. The court recorded the submission of Assistant Inspector General of Police, Police Headquarters, Thiruvananthapuram, and dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking an inquiry into the alleged exploitation of camp followers (civilian employees attached to a police camp) assigned to senior officers. The PIL was filed by PD Joseph of Thrissur.
The affidavit by the officer said: “A cook recruited for working in the camp’s kitchen is duty bound to cook for the policemen in the camp. Similarly, it is the task of the camp followers to clean and sweep the police camp area. They have been doing their job with due dignity. There is no slavery in cleaning and cooking as these are noble professions.”
The allegation of slavery raised by the petitioner is totally baseless, mischievous and an attempt to demoralise the force, the affidavit said. The petition was filed following the alleged assault on a camp follower/driver by the daughter of senior IPS officer.
The petitioner had also sought an inquiry into the alleged atrocities and human rights violations meted out to the camp followers. The AIG said drivers in the department are not camp followers. There are 1,231 camp followers working as cooks, dhobis, cook-cum-sweepers, barber, sweeper-cum-sanitary workers and water carriers.
There is no ‘menial’ category among camp followers, the affidavit stated. It also refuted the allegation regarding the rise in the number of suicide by police officers. There is no empirical evidence that workload has led to suicides, the affidavit stated.