5 cops choose sleep over duty, lose increment

Five policemen from Shahu Nagar police station in Dharavi will lose increment for one year for sleeping inside a patrolling van during duty hours. An internal inquiry by the department has held the five guilty of dereliction of duty.

Sub-Inspector Suresh Takle, and constables Mehboob Mullah, Ramesh Gite, Sunil Sonawane and Pathan were on night duty in Dharavi area on May 25 when they decided to choose sleep over their duty.

The five cops allegedly took a patrolling van – Mobile One – and hit the road. However, instead of taking rounds in their jurisdiction, all the five parked the vehicle outside a Tata Power distribution center and went off to sleep.

When one of their superiors, who was taking a round of the area, found a patrolling van parked at an odd location, he decided to check it out. To his disbelief, he saw all five cops sleeping soundly inside the vehicle. None of them had his uniform on.

The incident was brought to the notice of the then DCP Zone V, Dhananjay Kulkarni, who issued show-cause notices to Takle, Mullah,Gite, Sonawane and Pathan. "When the incident was brought to my notice, I was upset and issued show-cause notices to them. They were asked to reply in writing as to why they were sleeping during duty hours and that too, without uniform," said Kulkarni.

On October 31, an order was issued against all the five cops after an enquiry held them guilty of negligence. It was stated in the order that all five would lose increment for a year for their misconduct. Kulkarni said, "The order was issued after hearing them. This will surely send a strong message to the force that the work has to be taken seriously."