New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav’s initiative to create police bands for Independence day celebrations turned into a legal battle between officers and MP police with 19 police officers facing suspension.
On July 25, 19 police officers from Raisen, Mandsaur, Khandwa, Sidhi and Harda districts of Madhya Pradesh were suspended for skipping band practice, the Indian Express reported.
In the suspension orders, the erring officers were accused of “showing gross indiscipline and insubordination”. “During the suspension period, they will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per regulations, they will not leave the headquarters without the permission of the Superintendent of Police, and will mark their attendance as per regulations,” the notice read.
Raisen Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar told The Indian Express, “The officers were asked to turn up for performance and they vanished. They were then served suspension notices and ordered to stay at police lines. They are yet to turn up.”
‘Did not give consent to join band’
According to the report, several police officers had moved the Madhya Pradesh high court against their inclusion in the police band saying that they had “neither given their consent to join the police band, nor had they filed any application in this regard, because they are interested in discharging their duties by maintaining law and order and other regular work”.
The officers argued that the order mentioning their names as part of a police band was “arbitrary and illegal, that too without affording any opportunity of hearing to the petitioners”.
In their submission to the court, the police said that written consent was sought at first but since nobody expressed willingness to participate in the band, a common list was prepared.
Justice Anand Pathak, while hearing the plea of five police officers in May, had rejected their petition quoting Scottish essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle, saying “music is well said to be the speech of angels.”
On the lack of consent, the court said “police is a disciplined force and, therefore, such a plea cannot be raised by the petitioners that they are entitled to perform the duties as per their consent. This would be antithesis to the disciplined force”, adding that “[it]may be treated as continuous skill enhancement programme, therefore, no prior consent is required to be taken from the petitioners”
The initiative was announced by Yadav, who envisioned the creation of police bands to celebrate Independence Day in various districts.
A circular was issued by the Bhopal police headquarters in December last year, issuing instructions to form police bands in every battalion “because it would be helpful to bring out the positive image of police in the eyes of the public”.
The circular mandated the “consent of the police personnel from the rank of constable to ASI to perform duties as members of the police band”. A list of “interested” officers below the age of 45 years was directed to be prepared, the paper reported.
