BARIPADA: Another incident of six home guards being forced to kneel as punishment came to the fore on Friday. The incident comes close on the heels of the controversy in which four home guards, including a woman, were punished by Reserve Inspector Ashok Sethi for not dressing properly.
The six home guards were forced to kneel for showing up late for duty. The punishment was meted out to the home guards by a driver and Jamadar in the absence of Sethi. The six personnel were made to kneel near the boundary wall of the home guard office at Bhanjpur in Baripada.
Sources said the incident took place on Sunday during Rath Yatra. Like the previous incident, a photograph of the six home guards kneeling went viral on social media following which senior police officials swung into action. SP Prakash R said, “I came to know about the incident through social media. A report has been sought on the incident.’’
After the first incident, Sethi, who had already received his transfer order, was relieved from his duty. The statements of four home guards were recorded by the SP on Thursday.