Kolkata’s new police commissioner Manoj Verma on Monday met 35 department personnel injured in clashes with protesters during the Nabanna Abhijan march. In the event at the police headquarters that lasted an hour, the cops received tokens of appreciation for their efforts, and sources said they were very excited to meet Verma.
The protest on August 27 led by the Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj against the state administration’s response to the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital saw large-scale violence. More than 35 police personnel were injured, some of them grievously.
Observers said the morale of the Kolkata police force is at an all-time low because of the RG Kar Hospital case. A number of questions have been raised against the police and an officer has also been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Amid all this, Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal was removed based on protesters’ demands and Manoj Verma took his place.
Sources in the department told News18 that Verma is going all out to boost the image and morale of the force.
Sources said the arrest of station house officer (SHO) Abhijit Mondal by the CBI dented police morale and some officers and personnel also came to the headquarters. They added that Verma met them and assuaged their concerns. He assured them that the police force and government would stand with officers and everything would be handled with the highest priority.
On Sunday, Verma went to meet traffic police sergeant Debashish Chakraborty whose vision was damaged in the clashes during Nabanna Abhijan.
According to sources, the commissioner told Debashish’s family not to worry and that the department would support him.
“There is growing discontent against the police and image rebuilding is extremely necessary,” said an officer. “This initiative of CP Verma will really help buoy our spirits.”
The new commissioner visited RG Kar Hospital last week. Sources said he will also visit all police stations and speak to officers, constables, and other personnel at various levels. They added that Durga Puja is just a couple of weeks away when there will be huge pressure on the police to maintain law and order, and that is why the morale-boosting efforts are extremely timely.
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