'Efforts on…': UP constable who wept over low quality food makes an appeal to Yogi
In a latest video doing rounds on social media, Manoj Kumar, the constable from Firozabad, said efforts were now being made to declare him mentally unstable by taking him to a hospital in Agra.
Manoj Kumar, the constable from Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, whose ordeal about poor quality of food being served at the police mess was being shared by widely, later spoke about how efforts were now being made to declare him mentally unstable by taking him to a hospital in Agra.
In a latest video doing rounds on social media, Kumar said that he was being pulled up for sharing his plight and staging a protest with a plate of food, adding other police personnel misbehaved with him. He said that while his statements were recorded by the circle officer of Firozabad who was conducting an investigation into the matter, he was not given a copy of the same.
He also made an appeal to chief minister Yogi Adityanath in the clip. “The chief minister should take note that the UP Police is serving the public with utmost dedication – as also seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are not demanding much, but decent food. There is no other complaint," Kumar said.
He said he was ready to shell out more from his pocket as part of the charges for good quality food.
Also read | UP cop complains about food quality, inquiry ordered
Later, Firozabad superintendent of police (rural) Akhilesh Narain denied claims that Kumar was taken to Agra. He said the constable had food prepared for Rakshabandhan festival on Thursday afternoon and then went on leave for a week.
Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the Adityanath government over the poor quality of food. "Is there anyone listening to the policeman of UP crying with hunger in the noise of the pseudo-festival of Amrit Mahotsav?” he wrote.
Later, the Firozabad police said Kumar has been punished and faced action on about 14 to 15 occasions because of indiscipline, remaining absent from duty and being a man “of short temper”. Additional director general (ADG), Agra Zone, Ajay Anand, said an inquiry has been ordered to look into the issues raised by the policeman about the food quality in the mess of the Reserve Police Lines in Firozabad.