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| Panbazar police station, where the two officers were caught red-handed. Picture by Eastern Projections |
Guwahati, Dec 23 : On a night round to assess his force’s preparedness to face contingency yesterday, Assam police chief G.M. Srivastava made two shocking discoveries — one, a pair of “drunk” officers in the middle of a booze party at Panbazar police station and two, a bottle in one’s drawer.
With the clock hands inching towards 11pm and a round of interrogation still to go, the chilly winter night outside looked more suited for a little “drinking break” than a surprise visit by the director-general of police.
Sishir Baruah, officer-in-charge of Panbazar police station, and Subhash Chandra Doley, in-charge of Fancy Bazar police outpost, had just about enough time for a good high when Srivastava trooped in, accompanied by deputy inspector-general of police (central-western range) G.P. Singh and senior superintendent of police (city) P.C. Haloi.
So taken aback were the duo by this nasty little “surprise” that they could not even find time to hide their bottle well.
“Not only were the officers found under the influence of alcohol inside the police station but a liquor bottle was also recovered from Baruah’s drawer,” a police source said.
Both were suspended today on charges of consuming liquor on the police station premises last night.
Several hours later Srivastava still could not get over the “shameful” episode.
“I was on my night round to see how we are attending to duties at night, as we are supposed to work 24X7,” he said.
“Basically, I wanted to see our level of preparedness when I came across something shameful,” the newly-appointed Assam DGP said, adding that he did whatever was required of him to do under the circumstances. “I acted as per rules,” he said without going into the details of the case.
No medical test was conducted on the officers as they confessed their mistake and a liquor bottle was found on them. “Both of them were suspended with immediate effect on disciplinary ground and departmental proceedings have been initiated against them,” the source said.
“Their behaviour was unbecoming of a police officer on duty. Even if you are not on duty and not in uniform, you are expected to carry yourself in a manner that upholds the dignity of the force,” the source said.
“The duo were getting ready to interrogate some suspects when the DGP arrived at the police station and caught them on the wrong foot,” he added.
The suspension of the two officers raised questions about the growing “drinking problem” among a large section of policemen. Some even defended themselves saying liquor was a “relaxant” that helped them cope with “excessive work pressure”.
The police chief, however, is in no mood for excuses.
An officer at the DGP’s office said Srivastava has directed his officers, including SPs, additional SPs and deputy SPs to conduct surprise checks at all police stations and outposts regularly.
“All officers of city police have been asked to conduct surprise checks during the day as well as at night to avoid any situation like the one yesterday,” the source added.
The police chief has also issued a warning to the constabulary that anybody found in an inebriated state at an outpost or police station would be dealt with strictly, which could even include termination of services.