THE KASHMIR SCENARIO EXCLUSIVE
Srinagar, September 20: At a time when the Jammu and Kashmir Police Department is facing acute shortage of officers to handle the law and order problem, Government is looking the other way as far as the promotions and postings of Kashmir Police Service (KPS) officers is concerned. In almost eight cabinet meetings this year the issue of the postings and promotions of the police officers reportedly came up only once much to the dismay of various Kashmir Police Service (KPS) officers.
While as majority of KPS officers are at the brink of retiring at certain cul de sac positions, only a ‘blessed few’ make it to the much coveted posts like district SPs leading to acute disinterest in the hard working officers of the elite service.
With as many as 13 battalions remaining headless for last several months due to unnecessary delay in the posting of over 100 KPS police officers, the functioning of Jammu and Kashmir Police department has been severely affected.
“We are dealing with a very tough situation. Here is a huge law and order problem. We are struggling to maintain the balance in administrative work and law and order problems with the availability of very limited number of officials. Many KPS officers await postings but government for some strange reasons is reluctant to do the same. It is strange why these things are not discussed in the cabinet meetings,” said a senior police official while pleading anonymity.
The police department in Jammu and Kashmir which is hard-pressed to face many challenging situations in the valley is getting a step-motherly treatment in as far as the promotions are concerned. Majority of the 74 KPS officers of the 1999 batch continue to work as SP’s even after fourteen years of joining the elite police service while as their counterparts in the KAS civil wing of the administration have already got three promotions. A 1999 batch KAS Officer Zubair Ahmad is now special secretary to the Chief Secretary of the state of Jammu and Kashmir while as Talat Parvez of the same batch is now Director Tourism.
The 46 KPS officers of the 2001 batch were promoted as SPs this year almost twelve years after they joined the elite service. The officers still await postings despite almost three months of their promotion.
“It is baffling that our counterparts in the civil administration are getting promotion after promotion but we have been shunted to the flanks. One of my KPS batch mate in KPS is retiring in 2016. And to tell you a fact he would retire as Superintendent of Police after almost 25 years of his service as a KPS officer. Police officers work really hard to maintain law and order. It is really strange why the state government is not serious about our promotions. In another case a KPS officer of the 1999 batch is posted as an SP where as a person who was his batch mate is working as his boss,” said a KPS officer of 1999 batch while pleading anonymity.
The KPS officers are now vying with low-rung police officials who were recruited at a younger age and are now even bossing some KPS officers with more than a decade of service as KPS officers.
“You see a sub-inspector appointed in 1982 is now bossing a colleague of ours who joined KPS in 1999. It is really strange that government is not coming clean on the promotion quota. You see people who entered the department as sub-inspectors are now our seniors leaving us in dock,” said a senior KPS officer.
A 1999 batch KPS officer who was posted at Ganderbal for three months was afterwards posted in SSG (Special Security Group). He worked with three Chief Ministers first as DSP and then as an SP. The same officer went on a UN mission to two years. After coming back to the valley he was expecting to be posted as a District SP but regrettably was posted in the Armed wing.
While the KPS officers continue to plead their case, some senior officials believe that some Police officers just want the plump posts of District SP and are reluctant to work in other wings like armed and security.
“You see everybody who qualified KPS wants to be a district SP. Are not there other posts where they can exert themselves fully? It is a simple case that these officers want to have a cake and eat it too,” said a senior police officer on conditions of anonymity.
“There is the issue of merit as well. A 23-24 year-old officer with a high rank in KPS has a very high chance to retire as Inspector General of Police as compared to someone who qualified KPS as an in-service candidate at the age of 37. So if some KPS officer is retiring as a district SP, that thing has to factor in,” the officer added.
The 2009 batch KPS officers are also crying foul as they are yet to be posted as DySP’s even after they were promoted three months ago.
“You see we are made to work on rotatory basis. Sometimes our batch mates are posted as yatra officers or sometimes we have to accompany a dignitary. It has been three months since we were promoted but our posting is yet to happen,” said a KPS officer of the 2009 batch.
The same is the case with the 2010-2011 KPS officers who now openly regret their decision to join the elite police services.
The situation is getting even more problematic as many Kashmiri students are qualifying IPS and a few have got the state cadre leaving little space for KPS officers. A 1997 batch IPS officer Vijay Kumar is now DIG South Kashmir while as those qualified KPS in 1999 are still fighting for the post of a district SP.
The lackadaisical attitude of the state administration vis-à-vis the promotion of the police officers comes at a time when the department is facing an acute shortage of officers is even more baffling. As many as 60 Gazetted officials are required in Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police (JKAP) and Indian Reserve Police (IRP) alone.
Apart from these battalions, the crucial crime department is also without Superintendent of Police for last nine months which, sources said, has led to crisis in the department and delayed proper investigation into many cases.
The post of SP at the heart of police department, Control Room, Additional Superintendent Police, Baramulla also lies vacant.
Senior police officers also blame the callousness of the state government towards the promotion of these police officers.
“It is really strange that despite so many cabinet meetings our issue was not given serious consideration. Our job is tough. If KAS people get speedy promotions, then why are our officers left in dock?” fumed a KPS officer.
The tough demand of police service, the harsh training schedule and slow promotions had forced candidates appearing in civil services examinations not to keep police services as a first choice option.
“I always preferred KAS and got selected as an administrative officer. The current state of KPS officers suffices my point,” said a KAS officer of the 2009 batch.