No action on proposal to protect men in Khaki

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A proposal mooted by the police for stringent legal action against those raising any threat against cops is gathering dust.    

Neither Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala nor  his predecessor Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan  has taken any steps to implement their assurances to ensure stern action against those attacking the police.

After the CPM leaders openly threatened the police officers probing the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case, the then Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan had announced that stern measures would be taken to protect  investigation officers.

Following the  statement of Vigilance ADGP Jacob Thomas a few months ago that he had faced threat to his life, current  Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had also repeated his predecessor's announcement.

However, their statements still remain  as hollow promises even as serious attacks on police officials continue, the latest being on a sub-inspector by the sand mafia in Kannur the other day.

DGP K.S. Balasubramanian told Deccan Chronicle that to his knowledge no steps to protect police personnel was under the consideration of the government.

The police department had earlier proposed to the home department to pass a  piece of legislation that warrants cognizable charges against anyone threatening a police officer.

No discussions have taken place on it. Though strict norms for transfers of police personnel were put in place to insulate  them from transfers for political interests, those norms are followed more in the breach, police sources point out.

“Compared to other states, Kerala  has  a very democratic policing and it is for this reason that politicians often challenge the cops in public. Despite being at  the risk  of attack, the only option available to us now is to register cases in case of serious attacks,” lamented a senior officer.