‘Police officers found misbehaving with people may lose rank’: Naveen Patnaik

Starting October 2, any police official misbehaving with those coming to police stations or hospitals may face demotion while those seen helping may be promoted, according to a new initiative launched by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

Chairing a meeting here today on implementation of ‘Mo Sarkar’ initiative, set to be launched on Gandhi Jayanti, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said officials who will work on the 5T mantra - technology, transparency, teamwork and time leading to transformation - will get a promotion.

Patnaik, who addressed inspectors of 635 police stations across the State through a video link, asked them to treat people who come to the police station with respect. He said the phone numbers of such people should be registered and then connected to a separate web portal of “Mo Sarkar”.

“Within 24 hours of the registration, an automatic message would go to the registered phone number. Of all the registered numbers, I will call up 10 random numbers and ask them about their experience in police stations. If the numbers are not registered due to the negligence of the police officials, then they can call up a toll free number of the “Mo Sarkar” portal,” said Patnaik.

The chief minister said if the officials in police station are not listening to the grievances of anyone, they can lodge a complaint before the SP and DIG. The government would implement the steps necessary for working of the system, he said. Similar system of grievance registration would also start for the government-run health centres in the state, he said.

On August 15, Patnaik had announced the launch of ‘Mo Sarkar’ or My Government programme for making the police stations and hospitals accountable and responsive to people’s needs.

“The government is functioning due to taxpayers’ money. Thus, the people are above everyone else,” he had said.

Secretary of the newly formed 5T department, VK Pandian said no one comes to police station or hospitals out of their own volition. “People come to hospitals and police stations in times of distres. So it is necessary to redress the grievances of people coming to these places. A person comes to police station when he loses his child or getting tortured. Police should know how to behave with people in these situations,” said Pandian.