Cops ensure others' voting rights, not theirs

Policemen on election duty are deprived of making a choice

 Voting is the birth right of every citizen. This phrase seems to be a misnomer at least for police personnel on poll duty.

Whenever elections are conducted, a majority of the police personnel, irrespective of cadre, are deprived of expressing their mandate. Local or external security forces, be it local body polls, assembly or parliamentary elections, they are denied their rights, as they are busy ensuring the right of others in their jurisdiction.

When Deccan Herald spoke to a few policemen on duty for the elections to urban local bodies (ULBs) scheduled for March 7, they said that they felt ignored. In Mysore city alone, 1,600 civil police, 12 Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) force battalions, 15 city armed reserve (CAR) police forces, five commando forces, 65 mobile parties and 500 home guards have been deployed for both on the eve and day of polling.

As is the procedure, postal ballots will be issued to peripatetic government servants during the time of elections. All they have to do is apply for the ballot one week in advance at the respective district or taluk head quarters (DC or taluk office). 

But due to the lack of time, thanks to the packed schedule, the cops can’t even complete this procedure.

“Even if we were to apply for the ballot, it’s of no use, as we have no time to go and exercise our franchise,” said another head constable.

Police commissioner K L Sudheer said a missive in this regard asking the staff of police stations to avail the facility of postal ballots has already been dispatched to the authorities concerned. It’s the prerogative of the voter policemen to take a call on the same.

Also, what eludes police personnel during every election time is, allowance. A policeman who is at the fag end of his service recalled of having availed an allowance only twice.

 First, during the tenure of then police commissioner H R Kasturirangan and another during the time of Bipin Gopalakrishna. Allowance of Rs 180 was paid as allowance for a day during Gopalakrishna’s tenure, he added.