Home Guards undergo harassment, Kandhamal SP's role under scanner

BHUBANESWAR: The state home department has asked the director general of police (DGP) R P Sharma to probe allegations by home guards of Kandhamal district that they were tortured by district superintendent of police Mitrabhanu Mohapatra. The home department's directive to the DGP came after the home guards sent a petition to the chief minister Naveen Patnaik, seeking justice.
"I am verifying the allegations of the home guards after receiving the letter from home department a few days ago. The inquiry report will soon be submitted to the home department," Sharma told TOI, which has seen a copy of the home department's letter to the top cop. In the letter, home guards alleged that Mohapatra, an IPS officer, has been treating them like his domestic help. "We are being forced to do his household chores. He and his wife even forced us to clean their toilets and wash their dogs," the letter read.

Mohapatra rebuffed the allegations and said he did not know about the issue. "I have no idea about the issue. I never tortured anyone nor use them as my domestic help. Nobody drew my attention about the matter," Mohapatra told TOI when contacted.

Home guards said this is the lone instance of their suffering at the hands of senior police officers. "Though we are part of Odisha Police, we are being treated like menials. Senior officers misbehave with us often and force our colleagues to dance to their tunes. When our colleagues resist, they were dismissed straight away," said Upendra Mohapatra, president of Odisha Home-guards Association. Mohapatra cited an example where four home guards, including a woman were humiliated in full public view in Mayurbhanj and forced to kneel down for their misconduct. The home guards are scheduled to stage protest in Bhubaneswar on January 15 on different issues, relating to their remuneration, job security and highhandedness of seniors.

Recently, director general of police (home guards) B K Sharma wrote to all SPs and asked them not to dismiss or harass home guards on small mistakes. "Home guards should be treated with dignity. They are an inalienable part of Odisha police," the home guards chief said. The state has over 15,000 home guards, who work as auxiliary force of Odisha police and are paid Rs 300 per-day duty.