India News | Kerala Human Rights Panel Directs Police Chief to Increase Manpower
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Kerala Human Rights Commission on Tuesday directed the state police chief to increase manpower in the force to ease the work pressure on personnel and thus check the increasing suicides among them.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 2 (PTI) The Kerala Human Rights Commission on Tuesday directed the state police chief to increase manpower in the force to ease the work pressure on personnel and thus check the increasing suicides among them.
The Commission's order came a day after the opposition UDF attacked the Left government over the rise in suicide cases among police personnel.
In view of the increasing number of suicides due to the work pressure experienced by police personnel, the Commission directed to modify the strength of local stations in accordance with changing times, a panel statement said here.
The commission's acting chairperson and judicial member K Byjunath gave a directive in this regard to DGP Sheikh Darvesh Sahib, it said.
In its order, the Commission said it has noticed several media reports about increasing mental stress among police personnel due to a lack of strength in the force and the absence of proper rest and weekly offs for them.
This would adversely impact the efficiency of the police force, the order said, adding that the number of personnel applying for voluntary retirement was also on the rise in the state.
The panel also said there were widespread complaints that many police stations in the state did not have enough manpower and so law and order was not maintained there properly.
The Commission issued the order based on a complaint lodged by a human rights activist.
The opposition Congress-led UDF on Monday had slammed the Left government in Kerala over the rise in suicides among police personnel and staged a walkout after the Speaker denied them permission to discuss the issue.
Congress MLA P C Vishnunadh moved a notice for an adjournment motion on the matter and said the shortage of staff, hectic schedule and long working hours were among the causes for the increase in suicides among personnel.
The opposition had claimed that 88 police personnel had committed suicide in the last five years.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)