The khichdi feast organised by Delhi BJP at Ramlila Maidan last Sunday. (Express photo: Prem Nath Pandey)Around 80 police personnel were asked to march at odd hours as a punishment for coming late — by around 30 minutes — at a khichdi feast organised by the Delhi BJP at the Ramlila Maidan last week. Over 5,000 kg of samrasta khichdi was cooked and served as a part of its Bhim Mahasangam programme.
DCP (central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa had deployed all police personnel from the police stations of the Central district at the event. “They were asked to come at 7 am, but DCP Randhawa was shocked when 80 of them did not reach on time,” a senior police officer said.
The DCP observed that most police personnel came between 8.30 and 9.30 am. “All of them were asked the reason for coming late, but they did not provide any satisfactory answers. Most of them said they got late due to the rain,” the police officer added.
Following this, the DCP shared the information with senior officers at Delhi Police headquarters. He directed all of them to march in two shifts — one from 11 pm to 2 am, and the second from 6 am to 10 am — at Rajghat on Sunday.
“However, they were later told by DCP Randhawa to join their duties, and the morning shift march was pardoned,” police said. When contacted, DCP Randhawa confirmed the development, but refused to share further details.
This is not the first time when police personnel were asked to march at odd hours as a punishment. In 2012, then additional DCP (New Delhi district) Seju P Kuruvilla made a constable do a series of forward rolls on the ground at the Patiala House courts complex, apparently after the constable failed to recognise him and salute.
