CISF to keep tabs on who dates whom

Ten days after a CISF constable shot his female colleague and then himself at the busy Yamuna Bank Metro station over a failed love affair, the security force has started gathering intelligence about who is dating whom among its staff. Faizan Haider reports.

Ten days after a CISF constable shot his female colleague and then himself at the busy Yamuna Bank Metro station over a failed love affair, the security force has started gathering intelligence about who is dating whom among its staff.

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If two personnel are found to be dating, CISF will change their shifts to make sure they don't meet each other during duty hours. "This is not moral policing. We just want to make sure that our young recruits concentrate on work when on duty," said a senior CISF officer.

At the airport, CISF has asked its staff in the intelligence department to keep a watch on their own men,especially the new recruits. "We are not interfering in anyone's personal life. But after that episode, the force is treading cautiously. If we find any couple at the airport, we will either change the shift or send them to separate terminals," a CISF officer posted at the airport said.

Another matter of concern is CISF personnel using mobile phones during duty hours. Till few years ago, a lower-level officer was not allowed to use phones. The CISF is now planning to implement the ban again.

The paramilitary force also holds counselling sessions for its personnel. "Such shoot-out incidents take place normally after a soldier returns from leave. The force has a practice to have a talk with the soldier after he returns from leave to know whether everything is fine with his family," the officer said.

On August 5, during morning peak hours, a CISF constable had shot his female colleague before killing himself with his AK-47 rifle.