PANAJI
Several of 500 constable recruits have complained of food poisoning and unhygienic conditions at Delhi Police’s Training Academy, prompting Goa Police to send its senior officer to the institute to resolve the crisis. However, the truth behind these complaints might be something different altogether.
Of around 900 constables appointed in the recently-held recruitment drive, 500 were sent to Delhi this week while the remaining are undergoing training at the State Police Training School in Valpoi.
A video that surfaced on Friday evening depicted filthy toilets, strewn leftover food and unhygienic open space. A protest against the unlivable situation was responded to violently by the trainers, as per reports that also claimed a few of them complained of food poisoning.
Sources suggest these recruits may simply not want to undergo the tough police training. In fact, some of them may be desperate to undergo the mandatory training only in Goa, even if it means compromising on the quality of training they receive.
“It is essential to probe complaints to ensure that trainees are treated fairly and provided with adequate facilities. But it is equally important to recognize that police work is not an easy job and requires a great deal of physical and mental endurance,” a senior officer told The Goan while reacting to the incident.
It is reliably learnt that these recruits have been unable to handle the gruelling training sessions that begin as early as 6:30 am. “Police training can be incredibly gruelling, and it's not uncommon for recruits to experience a range of physical and emotional challenges during this process. However, overcoming these challenges is also essential to become a successful policeman,” stated the officer.
The Academy is simultaneously training 109 recruits from Ladakh and a few IPS recruits while 2,000 trainees from Delhi police recently passed out. “The Ladakh trainees have come from -16 degrees celsius to UT with 35 degrees celsius at present. They did take about 20 days to adjust but none complained,” sources said.
No compromise
on discipline
However, there will be no compromise on the time. The chief drill inspector has conveyed that reporting time at 6:30 am and the entire training schedule will not be compromised. “The trainees have often been reporting late, and on instructions to reach in time, they protested,” an officer added.
Nevertheless, IGP Singh has convinced the drill instructor to excuse the trainees from rigorous drills for 15 days to adjust to the schedule.
Academy trained
PSI recruits earlier
The current batch of constables is the first to undergo training at this institute as until this time sub inspectors were trained here. Sources said that a first batch of PSIs was trained in the year 1991 followed by 2002, 2014, 2017 (women PSIs) and 2018. Goa’s former DGP Mukesh Kumar Meena, who is currently serving as Delhi’s Special Commissioner, accommodated the present trainees “despite a backlog.”
“We had rejections from various police training institutes since they didn’t have the slot. Delhi police managed to give us a slot for 500 constables,” an officer added.
