Duty-free at last for Hyderabad policemen after elections draw to an end

HYDERABAD: It’s good news for policemen! The men in khaki who have been working without a respite for the past six months, ever since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force ahead of the election marathon, and are now allowed to take leave.

Keeping in mind the mental and physical health of the policemen, the officials have asked the Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) and Inspectors in the commissionerates and the districts to take leave and spend some quality time with their families.

However, the leave will be sanctioned in a phase-wise manner for each police station.

A senior officer in Hyderabad told Express that almost all wings of the police department have been working hard while discharging duties for the elections in the last six months, even until the counting was concluded.

The policemen were assigned bandobust duties and stood guard day and night without any leave or off for even a single day.

“The election code is now over by concluding counting of local body elections. The police staff have worked relentlessly and we have to sanction leave to our staff for taking rest from the busy working style,” officials said.

Specific instructions have been given to the station house officers who are required to ensure that all staff get to take leave while there is sufficient staff on duty, to deal with the regular cases and for maintaining law and order.

Majority of Inspectors go on leave

The Inspectors working in the law and order and traffic wings have already taken leave.

In Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda limits, the senior officials have given instructions to Inspectors to take leave.

With Ramzan month ending peacefully along with results of the local body elections out recently, a number of Inspectors have had their leaves sanctioned.

The additional Inspectors, who are specially assigned to criminal cases, are now in-charge of law and order and will accept the regular complaints and investigation.

Senior IPS officers, who were in-charge of the special forces during the elections, also went on long leave. Recently, the Hyderabad Commissioner of Police, Anjani Kumar also left for a foreign trip.

Similarly, other senior IPS officers have been sanctioned leave till June end.

“The regular work will go on without any interruption even the police staff have gone on leave. We have taken the decision of sanctioning leaves in view of mental and physical health conditions of policemen who were election-duties and festival bandobast,’ officials said.

Conditions apply

The leaves will be sanctioned in a phase-wise manner for each police station. The police officers were asked to attend duties in case of emergencies before they were sanctioned leaves.

Station house officers who are required to ensure that all staff get to take leave while there is sufficient staff on duty.