Bengaluru: The biggest ever strike planned by police personnel in the state on Saturday fell flat with senior officers tightening the noose against them. The police, who had planned to go on mass leave, instead turned up for work resulting in 100 per cent attendance across the state.
As per the strict direction, police personnel were present at their respective stations and offices by 8 am on Saturday. Most of them were hoping that though they could not go on mass leave, various organisations would protest on their behalf. However, no such protest took place demanding the rights of policemen.
As a precautionary measure, the department had made elaborate security arrangements. Some of the central forces were stationed in the city. However, no such situation arose to make use of the central forces, as there were no protests.
Besides policemen, their family members were also warned not to take part in any protests. Going a step further, policemen were deployed at police residential quarters to ensure that no protest happened on the premises.
Meanwhile, Poornima, wife of Shashidhar Venugopal, the Founder President of Akhila Karnataka Police Sangha, who was on a silent protest, along with 15-20 other women, at Freedom Park was taken into preventive custody by the police.
Tight vigil
It is learnt that in some police stations in the city, policemen were made a sign in a register every hour. “For those who were deputed to work outside, senior officers made it a point to check on their presence every hour. They were on rounds and visited the places where constables were deputed,” a head constable told DC.
Our policemen are disciplined: Siddaramaiah
“The state policemen are disciplined soldiers. While the state government did not stop them from protesting, the policemen themselves chose not to go ahead with their mass leave strike,” said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Saturday.
The call for the protest was not given by the policemen in service, but those who were out of it. It was given by an organisation which did not have any recognition, he said, thanking the policemen for maintaining discipline.
“The protest call was given by a police constable who was dismissed in 1998. He had formed the Police Mahasangha, which is not recognised. He instigated the policemen through a series of WhatsApp messages. Some of the policemen, who were influenced by these messages, applied for mass leave. None of them had applied for leave individually. Later when they realised that it was not right to go ahead with the strike, they withrew,” he said.
“I am not saying that they don’t have problems. They have their own demands and we will discuss and try to meet them,” he said.
