From anti-terror ops to law & order duties, SPOs take home paltry ₹6,000 to ₹18000 a month

SPOs perform law and order duties, take part in counter-insurgency operations and also don the role of domestic help to senior police officers.

Special Police Officers (SPOs), who play a key role in Jammu and Kashmir’s security operations, said on Thursday that they perform a range of duties for the police but earn meagre salaries and receive no retirement benefits.

The SPOs with less than five years of service take home ₹6,000 per month; those with five years’ service get ₹9,000 per month, and SPOs with 15 years or more of service get ₹15,000 to ₹18,000 per month. (PTI/ Representative)

The killing of two missing SPOs — Rashpal Kumar, 45, and Babbi Chand, 57 — in the upper reaches of Dachhan has once again brought the personnel’s working conditions into focus.

SPOs perform law and order duties, take part in counter-insurgency operations and also don the role of domestic help to senior police officers. But contrary to the post, they take home a paltry sum of ₹6,000 to ₹ 18,000 a month.

The SPOs with less than five years of service take home ₹6,000 per month; those with five years’ service get ₹9,000 per month, and SPOs with 15 years or more of service get ₹15,000 to ₹18,000 per month.

However, it may be stated that the government has revised the compensation to ₹5 lakh for the next of kin of an SPO killed in action or a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Shashi Kumar, a VDC SPO, said: “After 2016, there is a proper recruitment of the SPOs, but when militancy was at its peak, there was no hard and fast rule, and anyone who wanted to become an SPO could join the police force.”

“Today, the aspirants have to undergo physical tests and their educational qualifications are also considered. They undergo proper weapons training, but the government provides them a fixed amount of salary depending upon the years of service they have put in,” Kumar added.

Kumar recalled that in March 2022, the union home ministry approved a revised scheme replacing VDCs (village defence committees) with newly structured Village Defence Groups (VDGs).

Though the decision was aimed at reviving dormant village defence networks, streamlining direct honorarium payments, and addressing long-standing administrative issues, those with 15 or more years of service as VDC SPOs felt violated because the government decided to provide all VDC members, including SPOs, ₹4,500 each.

Since then, the aggrieved VDC SPOs have moved the J&K and Ladakh high court, challenging the home ministry order.

“I had put up more than 15 years of my life as an SPO, and my salary was ₹18000. How could an SPO like me accept ₹4500 a month?” said Kumar.

He stated that since the matter has been sub judice before the High Court since 2022-23, nothing has been paid to the VDC SPOs, who number around 2300.

“SPOs are used into all sorts of work..into law and order, CI operations and attending the offices and homes of the police officers. Before the High Court, we are seeking our regularisation because we were engaged with VDCs to combat terrorists. The home ministry order rechristening VDCs as VDGs and fixing ₹4500 a month to each one of us was arbitrary and unjustified,” said Kumar.

“We still have weapons and ammunition, perform our duties with the VDGs, but no salaries are being paid to us,” he said.

SPOs in J&K are typically issued standard rifles such as the INSAS, SLRs, and .303 rifles.

Kumar claimed that a single-bench decision of the high court was given in favour of VDC SPOs.

“The DB today held another hearing. It has sought data of VDC SPOs from the home department, which has not been provided till date. November 19 has been fixed as the next date of hearing,” he said.

He further said that combating battle-hardened terrorists for ₹6000 to ₹18000 a month makes no sense, but still they put their lives on the line.

“On our retirement we get nothing except a few flower garlands around our necks,” he rued.