City policemen fail to arrest their pot bellies
The transfer of police inspector from local investigation branch of government railway police has exposed the fitness standards followed by the police department.

According to information, there are a number of police officials whose physical fitness is not according to the kind of duty they are assigned. The home department however has not taken action against any of the officials for their disproportionate physique. The refreshers’ programme for police officials is also not being strictly followed by the district police.

In Ahmedabad there are at least seven officials of inspector rank with disproportionate physique. Navrangpura PI R.K. Chauhan, Ghatlodia PI K Algotkar, Shahpur PI D.B. Bangiya, Sabarmati PI H.C. Pathak and Naroda PI G.L. Khuti are some of such officials. The government however does not have a set of rules as far as physical fitness of the police officers is concerned. "Every police officer has to pass the physical fitness test at the time of recruitment. But after that there is no monitoring system to check the fitness of a police officer," said Ahmedabad joint police commissioner Pritamsinh Thakur. Interestingly, police chiefs in different cities and districts are supposed to undertake a refreshers’ programme in which importance is also given to the physical fitness of a police officer. Baroda DSP Piyush Patel said, "Every SP and every commissioner is supposed to conduct the refreshers’ programme but in most cases it becomes a difficult affair since the officials are already overburdened with routine work. However, we try our best to conduct such programme to keep the officials fit."

A top-level police official on conditions of anonymity said, "In most cases it is seen that after getting recruited the official remains health conscious for about five years but after that he becomes careless about his physique."

Managing director of Gujarat police housing development corporation, A.K. Bhargava, claimed that though physical fitness is required at every level of service the issue has not been given proper importance. He said, "Physical fitness is a must for the officials of PI, PSI, DySP rank. In the higher positions the official is supposed to apply his mind more and that is where physical fitness could be compromised."

However, those officials whose tummies have come out claim physique has never been a problem in performing duty. "The issue of my physical fitness is unnecessarily being made an issue. I have been an active student leader and on professional front also I have always been an active police officer," said Jitu Tiwari who has reportedly been transferred because of his disproportionate physique.

Republished from The Asian Age