Wives of police constables of Telangana State Special Police (TSSP) battalions were arrested when they tried to stage a protest at the State Secretariat on Friday demanding fair treatment of their husbands.
The women, some of whom carrying their children in arms, tried to advance towards the Secretariat but were stopped and arrested by police.
The family members of police constables have been staging protests at their respective battalions for last few days demanding implementation of ‘ek police’ system or uniform rules for all police personnel.
They are demanding fair treatment and resolution of issues faced by their husbands, including exhausting work schedules.
A pregnant wife of a police constable told media persons during the protest at the Secretariat that her husband couldn’t accompany her for scan.
About 20 police constables from the 12th Battalion in Nalgonda district were suspended when their wives protested on the Police Commemoration Day on October 21
Wives and children of police constables took to the streets in Nalgonda, Ditchpally, and Sircilla during last few days demanding justice and equality for their husbands. They raised slogans to eliminate differences in the police department.
The battalion constables are often assigned difficult and demanding tasks but are excluded from opportunities for career growth within the civil police system.
They complained that their husbands are being made to work for long shifts for 26 days continuously.
The protesters are demanding implementation of ‘Ek Police’ system which is already in place in Tamil Nadu.
This system would allow special police personnel to be absorbed into regular law and order and civil policing roles after a certain period, giving them access to the same benefits and career advancements as their counterparts.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader R.S. Praveen Kumar, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, slammed the state government over the issue after the arrest of wives of constables for protesting near Secretariat.
“Another sad day in Telangana under Congress Rule. It is because of anti-police welfare policies of Telangana Home Minister and CM Revanth Reddy, hundreds of family members of Telangana Special Police have hit the roads in protest in Hyderabad city along with their kids today,” he posted on ‘X’.