Gavaskar is now undergoing treatment at the district hospital for the injury he suffered in the alleged attack on Thursday.
The daughter of an ADGP has been booked for allegedly assaulting his official driver following an argument. The incident prompted other police personnel, deployed as camp followers for the service of senior officers, to complain about alleged misuse of their services by their seniors. On Thursday, Snigdha Kumar, the daughter of ADGP (armed battalion) Sudesh Kumar, allegedly assaulted the officer’s driver Gavaskar, who has been admitted to hospital. After conciliatory efforts failed, police late night registered a case under non-bailable sections of the IPC against Snigdha. Gavaskar was also booked for allegedly outraging the modesty of a woman after Snigdha filed a counter-complaint.
According to Gavaskar, he was a little late in bringing the vehicle to the museum premises where Snigdha and her mother had gone for a walk. He told the media on Friday that Snigdha verbally abused him for the delay. As she continued the tirade, he abruptly stopped the car and told her that he could not drive if she continued to behave like that. Snigdha allegedly hit him on the neck with her mobile phone.
“After I moved a complaint, the ADGP sent some people to force me to withdraw it. As I was not ready to do so, the ADGP’s daughter moved a counter-complaint against me,” he said. Gavaskar also alleged that Snigdha and her mother used to force camp followers to wash their clothes, bathe their dog and do household chores. (Camp followers are posted in battalion camps to do cooking, cleaning and other jobs. However, many IPS officials have deputed camp followers at their houses, where they are allegedly made to do household chores for the officers and their family members. There are about 1,000 camp followers in the state.)
After the Kerala Police Association, an organisation for police constabulary, extended its support to Gavaskar, other policemen also levelled allegations against the ADGP. Kerala Police Camp Followers Association state president Prakash Lal said the ADGP had five camp followers at his house doing chores. After the driver was assaulted by his daughter, the officer had withdrawn them, he added. He said there were several officials in Kerala Police who misuse the service of camp followers for domestic purposes.
Kerala Police Association president T S Baiju said there was already an order banning the use of subordinate officials as household help. The practice of officers using personal staff like slaves cannot be tolerated, he said. Gavaskar’s wife Reshma met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and submitted a complaint on the alleged attack. Vijayan told the media that the issue was very serious. “Higher officials are not above law. There will be stringent action against anyone who erred, whatever be the person’s position,’’ he said.
An IPS officer of 1987-cadre, ADGP Kumar was earlier with BSF in the Northeast. He did not respond to repeated calls and messages. Kerala DGP Loknath Behera said in a statement, “Proper and effective inquiry will be done on the complaint of the driver. The allegation that some senior officers are misusing camp followers and department vehicles will also be looked into and appropriate action taken.”