Shyam Mane (name changed) is a police constable. He reports to duty at 8 am every day. Not in any police station, but at the house of his boss.
Shyam Mane (name changed) is a police constable. He reports to duty at 8 am every day. Not in any police station, but at the house of his boss, an IPS officer.
Escorting his boss’s children to school, buying vegetables, stacking up grocery are all in the day’s work for Mane. Occasionally, he doubles up as an electrician and plumber. If the maid takes falls sick or takes leave, he has to help out the boss’s wife, doing domestic chores.
“There is no way I can refuse anything,” he said. His current job profile by no means resemble the job of a policeman: maintaining law and order and aiding in crime investigations. “It’s frustrating. I long to be back in a police station.”
Ten years ago, Mane, then a 25-year-old from Amravati, was proud and excited, having made it to the police ranks. He had always dreamt of donning the khaki. He had been happy, till he was transferred to the Local Arms (LA) division of Mumbai Police and became a part of the 100-odd constabulary manning the houses of IPS officers.
As per the government rules, two constables are deputed to guard the residences of IPS officers, comprising the deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) and higher-ranking officers.
A posting in LA usually lasts for three years. Apart from the IPS officers’ homes, these constables are also deployed to guard key installations in the city.
As per the rule book, their job is to guard the officers’ homes. “But we end up doing almost everything, even baby-sitting,” said another constable.
Sometimes, if the situation demands, they have to report to work at odd hours in the morning. “We often go to airport or railway stations to pick up relatives,” said another from the LA division.
Post the 26/11 terror attacks, the government promised a Rs147-cr budget for modernising the force. Though little has been done so far, senior police officials feel that the mindset of the top brass must change. “Instead of guarding houses, the personnel should instead be used for better policing,” said a senior LA official.
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