Two constables dismissed from Mumbai Police for failing to report to duty

Two constables were dismissed from the city police force for not reporting to duty despite several warnings. The two were suspended earlier and asked to be present

Two constables were dismissed from the city police force for not reporting to duty despite several warnings. The two were suspended earlier and asked to be present for an inquiry. However, they remained unavailable for inquiry, following which they were dismissed. The dismissal orders were sent to them.

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A senior police officer said that in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Disaster Management Act is implemented in the state and the police force is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. So the police department is taking stern action against those personnel who are not cooperating with the department during this crisis.

The dismissed constables – Dada Bapu Sonawane and Madhav Rajendra Jadhav – were attached to Tardeo local arms division (LA-2).

“Both remained absent for a very long period. They did not respond to the show-cause notices that were issued during the departmental inquiry and hence have been dismissed,” said Nandkumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police, LA-2.

Jadhav was absent since December 22, 2018, while Sonawane has a history of remaining absent from duty for long periods, said the police.

“He was absent for 107 days in 2009 and later in 2011, did not report to duty for over four years. After resuming duty in May 2015, he was again stopped reporting to work on November 7 last year and since then did not come back on duty,” said a police officer.

Sonawane is in his village. The departmental inquiry found him guilty for indiscipline and “not fit for police service”.

To prevent the spread of the virus and save the lives of the personnel, those with comorbidities and above 55 years of age are exempted assigned indoor duties or exempted from reporting to duty. As a result, the number of personnel on the field has reduced and the leaves of all the personnel were cancelled, while those on leave were asked to report to duty on an immediate basis. But several personnel are yet to resume the services, prompting their superiors to take stern action.

“Strict action sends a clear message across the force that such attitude will not be tolerated,” said Thakur.

Last month, in a similar development, a criminal case was registered against six police personnel for not reporting to duty, despite several warnings. The personnel were suspended earlier and were asked to be present for an inquiry by the Borivli police. However, they remained unavailable during the inquiry, following which they were booked in a criminal case.

In May, the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) registered a similar complaint against 17 personnel at the Vanrai police station not reporting to duty despite several warnings.