The poor conditions of protectors

Synopsis: Despite the difficult nature of their duties, the police are neglected a lot.

Introduction

There have been many instances where our forces lost their lives in the line of duty. To pay tribute to those forces, October 21 is celebrated as Police Commemoration Day.

What is the story behind October 21?

On October 21, 1959, Chinese troops threw grenades and opened fire at twenty Indian soldiers in Ladakh. Out of them, ten brave police personnel attained martyrdom while seven others sustained injuries in that incident.

Their cremation was held at the Hot springs in North Eastern Ladakh, with full Police honours. Since then, October 21 is observed as “Police Commemoration Day”

What are the various issues with govt policy wrt the police personnel?

In spite of the demanding nature of their job, police personnel are neglected a lot. The government pays them fewer salaries. They are often deprived of basic services and have a poor quality of life.

Those who joined forces in 2004 or after are not even eligible for pensions.

Even the Central police canteens are not exempted from GST.

What should the government do?

Government should adopt policies which boost the morale of our forces. Their sacrifices should not be let in vain.

Government should bring uniformity in the ex-gratia amounts given to the next of kin of the police who are killed. It is observed that some states like Tamil Nadu, Delhi offers 1 crore while other don’t even pay half.

Government should also ensure that the family of the deceased should not be deprived of decent living.

Source: The post is based on the article “The poor conditions of protectors” published in The Hindu on 22nd October 2021.