There is a perception in the police department that only those in the IPS cadre enjoy the privileges of a government job, including weekly offs, while those in the lower ranks right from assistant commissioners are on the job round the clock and throughout the week.
AK Viswanathan
Chennai:
This scribe, however, came to know recently that a senior IPS officer had taken leave only for two days ever since he took charge in Greater Chennai Police more than a year ago.
The officer is none other than Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan, and the two days he did not report to work were in fact Sundays.
This reporter stumbled upon this information when there were rumours that the CoP had taken a long leave since the Raj Bhavan was unhappy about police’s action in the case of Nakkheeran Gopal’s arrest.
To confirm if the rumours were true, the reporter contacted another senior officer who seemed upset about the matter. “I did not know that an officer going on a two-day leave would become news and bear political colours,” he said and added that the CoP indeed was on leave only to attend a wedding in another state. He also added that the Commissioner had taken leave only on two occasions earlier and that too on Sundays.
When this scribe got in touch with the officer on Sunday for a story, he informed with a smile that the Commissioner was back at work, implying how the rumour mills got it wrong. Nevertheless, this incident tore apart the image that senior IPS officers have it easy at work.—Venkadesan S, Chennai