Haryana to reinstatesacked commandos

CHANDIGARH, JAN 15: Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is on a decision-reversal binge, is showing scant respect for norms. B...

CHANDIGARH, JAN 15: Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is on a decision-reversal binge, is showing scant respect for norms. But what beats all reversals is his decision to reinstate 12 commandos of the Haryana Police, who had been dismissed by his predecessor, Bansi Lal, for alleged rebellion.

Opposition parties and senior police officers have been appalled by the move to reinstate the “undisciplined” constables, who had been dismissed from service under Section 311(2) of the Constitution. Not only were they actively involved in Union activities, but also allegedly ran amok and “gheraoed” their commandant after their demands for a wage hike and better facilities were not fulfilled. The authorities had to summon paramilitary forces to control them.

The decision to reinstate these policemen was taken by the Chief Minister at a meeting of Police Welfare Committee last week. While Chautala’s critics say that he is setting a wrong precedent and politicising the issue by reinstating policemen dismissed from service for “gross indiscipline”, Director General of Police Shambhu Pratap Singh Rathore sees nothing wrong The 12 commandos, led by Haryana Police Commandos’ Union president Krishan Kumar and general secretary Balbir Singh, were dismissed after over 600 commandos went on strike on June 11, 1998, at Karnal and Hisar to protest the lack of government’s response to their demands for parity with `black cat’ commandos of the National Security Guards and for better facilities.

The situation turned serious when the commandos “gheraoed” the residence of the then Superintendent of Police (Commando Force) Attar Singh Ahlawat and shouted slogans against the government. The authorities had to summon 10 companies of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and other Central forces to guard the armory and prevent the situation from becoming worse.