UP cop breaks down over mess food quality

In the clip that surfaced on social media on Wednesday, constable Manoj Kumar was seen staging a protest with a plate of food and complaining that the quality is so bad that “even animals cannot eat”.

Firozabad police have ordered a probe into the quality of meals served at the district police lines, hours after a video of a police constable complaining about the “poor” quality of meals being served at the mess went viral. A circle officer has been appointed to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit the report, an official familiar with the matter said.

In the clip that surfaced on social media on Wednesday, constable Manoj Kumar was seen staging a protest with a plate of food and complaining that the quality is so bad that “even animals cannot eat”.

In the clip that surfaced on social media on Wednesday, constable Manoj Kumar was seen staging a protest with a plate of food and complaining that the quality is so bad that “even animals cannot eat”.

In tears, the policeman came onto the highway outside the Reserve Police Lines with his plate of dal and roti and complained about the food quality. “How can policemen perform a 12-hour duty without proper food?... I live away from my home and feel hungry but how can such low-quality roti be eaten?” he was purportedly heard saying in the video.

Taking note of the complaints, 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 because UP Police is concerned about the welfare of personnel.”

In a tweet, however, Firozabad police said that constable Kumar has faced disciplinary action on 15 occasions in the last few years for varied reasons — from remaining absent to indiscipline and “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, who did not wish to be named.

Officials at the Reserve Police Lines, too, hinted that Kumar has been disturbed for a while due to family problems.