Kerala govt begins collecting details of staffers after assault on police driver

Thiruvananthapuram: Amid a raging row over the alleged maltreatment to the Kerala police menial staffers like cooks, sweepers, barbers etc deployed with senior officials, the Home Department has begun collecting their details to rectify the situation.

DGP Loknath Behera issued an order on Sunday seeking various details of the menial workers, generally known as camp followers and deployed on orderly duties with IAS and IPS officers and judges etc in Kerala. The details included the camp followers' sanctioned strength, present headcount, their status as permanent or temporary worker besides their current status of deployment with senior officials.

Read: After brawl, senior Kerala IPS officer's daughter, police driver both booked

The move came a day after Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Sudesh Kumar was transferred after a junior policeman had complained of alleged manhandling by his daughter and ill-treatment by his family while on duty. ADGP (Headquarters), Anandakrishnan, on behalf of the DGP, asked respective district police chiefs, commandants and unit heads to collect and submit details of the camp followers and the PSOs by Sunday.

Read: Kerala top cop removed after daughter misbehaved with police driver

The top brass including superintendent of police (SPs) and above have been asked to provide details of the police personnel, who are assigned as camp followers and PSOs with them. The details of staff assigned for orderly duty with IAS, IFS and other government officials, judges, legal advisors and prosecutors should also be furnished, the order said.

The DGP also asked to collect details of the ministers and other leaders who were given personal security officers due to the perceived threat to their lives. The row over ill-treatment faced by the camp followers was triggered after ADGP Sudesh Kumar's driver Gavaskar lodged a complaint with police against ADGP's 28-year old daughter, Snigdha on Thursday.

In his complaint, the policeman alleged that she had verbally abused him and hit him on his neck and shoulder with her mobile phone for delay in bringing the vehicle to pick her up after her morning walk. A case had been registered against Snigdha under various sections of the IPC based on Gavaskar's complaint while he too was booked over her counter complaint.

The following day, Gavaskar's family members had met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who assured them of stern action on the issue. The Kerala Police Association also came out against the alleged ill-treatment meted out to junior policemen by senior officers. Sudesh Kumar, who was serving as the head of the Armed Police Battalion, has not been given any new posting after being removed from the post.