An inquiry has been ordered into allegations levelled by a police constable in Firozabad about the quality of food being served in the police mess. Circle officer, Firozabad, has been assigned the inquiry and will submit his report on the quality of food served to police personnel at the police mess.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, police constable Manoj Kumar lamented the inferior food quality which was being served at the mess in the Reserve Police Lines. He alleged that “even animals won’t eat this”. Crying, the policeman came on to the highway outside the Reserve Police Lines with his plate of dal and roti and complained about food quality.
Caught on the backfoot after video of the policeman went viral, Firozabad police revealed that Manoj Kumar has been punished and has faced action on about 14 to 15 occasions because of indiscipline, remaining absent from duty and being a man “of short temper”.
“Such frequency of misconduct is not to have any bearing on the policeman and the allegations made by him but this remains a fact that Manoj Kumar had been an undisciplined man in the state police,” said a senior police official on condition of not being named.
Fellow policemen tried to silence the weeping Manoj Kumar who refused to quieten down and complained “How can policemen perform a 12-hour duty without proper food”? He continued to express his discontent as passers-by gathered and made a video which went viral later in the evening.
{{/usCountry}}Fellow policemen tried to silence the weeping Manoj Kumar who refused to quieten down and complained “How can policemen perform a 12-hour duty without proper food”? He continued to express his discontent as passers-by gathered and made a video which went viral later in the evening.
{{/usCountry}}Kumar, while sitting on the divider of the highway in Firozabad, blamed police officials for neglect. “I live away from my home and feel hungry but how can such low-quality roti be eaten,” questioned Manoj Kumar and even suggested officials taste the food themselves.
“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, because UP Police is concerned about the welfare of personnel,” said additional director general (ADG), Agra Zone, Ajay Anand on Thursday.
SSP Firozabad Ashish Tiwari, on coming to know about the issue, ordered a probe to be conducted by the circle officer, Reserve Police Lines, Heeralal Kannojia. Officials at the Reserve Police Lines, avoiding to be named, indicated that Manoj Kumar remains disturbed because of differences with his wife.
Akhilesh takes dig at UP govt
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at the Uttar Pradesh government by sharing a video of the constable from Firozabad district seen crying over the poor quality of food being served in the mess.
Sharing the video on the microblogging site Twitter, the leader of opposition in the state wrote in Hindi, “Is there anyone listening to the policeman of UP crying with hunger amid the noise of the pseudo-festival of Amrit Mahotsav...Why bhookotsava (hunger fest) in the name of mahotsava (festival)?”