A wave of disgruntlement gripped across the Maharashtra Police after the State Government issued on Thursday a resolution that “Officers and men of ‘only’ Mumbai Police’s Quick Response Team (QRT) will be honoured with ‘Distinguished Service Medals’ on the lines of ‘Force One’, a specialised counter terrorism unit.” The GR officially ignores the contribution of remaining eight QRT units operating across the State and dealing with terrorists and anti-social elements, just like Mumbai’s QRT, said a top rank police official.

 

 

 

The state police have nine specialised units of QRTs at Mumbai, Nagpur, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Amravati, Solapur and Nanded. However, Home Department favoured personnel of only Mumbai’s QRT which is showing partisan attitude at the top level, opined the official.

 

According to the Government Resolution, Mumbai QRT personnel are provided rigorous physical training. Similarly, they are getting training of various weapons, first-aid, rappelling-slithering, Unarmed combat (UAC), recce, mock-drill, information of explosives and so on.

 

On the lines of State Government’s decision in year 2013 of honouring personnel of ‘Force One’ with the medal, the State Government has decided to honour officers and men of Mumbai QRT with ‘Distinguished Service Medal’ for their meritorious service. As per the GR, eight officers and 48 men of QRT Mumbai will be selected for the medal every year.

 

Soon after the GR was flashed on Government’s website, it was widely circulated among the police rank and file in Maharashtra Police, especially the serving QRT personnel of eight other units. “Training programmes and operational guidelines for QRT Mumbai and rest of the Maharashtra are the same. Then why does the State favour only QRT of Mumbai Police?,” asked an officer serving in QRT in righteous indignation.

 

“Officials at Home Department seem to have forgotten our contribution and dedication for the maintaining law and order in the State. We are also burning our blood and sweat in the service of state. However, the medals will be given only to the QRT Mumbai.” This would would definitely dent morale of the force, the officer stressed.

 

SP Yadav, who retired as Director General (Legal and Technical) in Maharashtra Police, commented that all officers and men working in QRTs across the State were selected on the same criteria and given the same training as per the GR of the Government of Maharashtra published in August 2009. “You cannot discriminate in this manner -- that QRT Mumbai would alone get extra benefits and not others,” he said. Medals should always be given on the basis of merit and performance of officers and men. The Government and office of DGP Maharashtra have committees to scrutinize all cases received from across Maharasthra for selecting names of officers/men for medals. These committees have discretion to select names on the basis of fixed criteria. If they find the names sent by unit heads were not fit as per the criteria, they can reject the names,” said SP Yadav.

 

Yadav further claimed that there was a lot of disgruntlement in State Police that Mumbai was always dominating in the list of medals. Now, Gadchiroli is dominant in the medal list in recent years. But this does not serve the purpose of motivating the performing men all over the State. The effort should be to spread the benefit evenly across the State -- in all units, SP Yadav asserted.