Why are the police arresting police in Telangana?

A section of Telangana’s special police has been staging protests for the last few days, demanding reformation in the existing policies, citing emotional, personal, and financial distress. There are close to a dozen battalions of special police in Telangana with a strength of more than 10,000 people. The protests have been held across the state, including Nalgonda, Warangal and Karimnagar regions.

The striking aspect of these protests is that they are being led by wives and family members of the men in khaki. Telangana hasn’t witnessed protests of this scale by the uniformed men since its bifurcation.

The special police are recruited to perform functions similar to that of paramilitary forces for the purpose of tackling riots, and public disturbances and for bandobust or providing security. However, the protestors claim they aren’t treated fairly when compared to the law and order police.

To curb the protests, the government has dismissed 10 officers of constable and head constable rank, suspended 39 others for inciting dissent, and arrested 21 cops for attempting to protest at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad.

“In addition to criminal cases, show cause notices are being issued to these personnel, for their gross violation of conduct rules and insubordination, specifically under Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution of India, as their actions pose a significant threat to public interest and security, and why disciplinary action of dismissal, should not be imposed,” read a part of the press note issued by the Telangana police regarding the arrests.

Senior officials of the police and the state government have been urging the officers to resume duties, assuring them that they will look into their demands.

One of the triggers for the protests appears to be a recent change in the leave policy. Previously, the officers could take leave once in two weeks which has now been changed to once in 26 days, according to a new leave manual. The protestors and their family members demand better work conditions and a flexible leave system, including weekly offs.

They are advocating for a “one police” policy which exists in other states like Karnataka. They feel that there should not be battalion systems and they should be integrated with civil police and assigned work on par with the law enforcement wings of the police. The biggest grouse of the special police and their family members is that they are assigned domestic tasks like gardening, washing clothes, driving, plumbing or working as attendants to senior officers, government officials, and politicians and their family members. They argue that they want to work for the public but their effort and energy are being wasted on non-operational duties. The disgruntled protestors also feel that they have lost respect in the society and this has led to marital strife and divorces in some cases.

They allege that long duration of work, frequent transfers, and prolonged time away from family have resulted in the suicides of policemen.

Opposition leaders from the BJP and the BRS have voiced support for the protestors, adding pressure on the state government.