Suspended SI seeks permission to form police union

In the letter, which was made available to DT Next, the 2011 batch SI, V Rajakumar, requested the top officials to execute the State government GO dated 8 June 1979 and 20 January 1981 and allow the formation of a police union. “Kindly consider the welfare of the police and permit to form one union for the entire Tamilnadu police... This will be helpful to reduce the stress of police personnel and improve the relationship between the police and the public,” Rajkumar said in his letter. 

When he was transferred from Chennai to Thoothukudi in 2019, ministerial staff did not send his LPC and SR book details from Chennai because he was not ready to bribe the ministerial staff, he alleged. 

“Because of this, I didn’t receive my salary. As there was no salary, I stopped going to work after informing the superior officer in February 2020. So I was placed under suspension,” noted Rajkumar. But senior officials noted that he was placed under suspension because of his social media posts on delay in getting the salary. 

Rajkumar claimed that he was placed under suspension without preliminary inquiry. But his higher official noted that he refused to receive the charge memo. Rajkumar believes that several police personnel across the State face various problems and a union could solve them. 

He noted that police personnel are not in a position to report any of their legitimate demands to the government directly. They have to depend on their superiors. 

According to him, the majority of superior officers do not listen to their reasonable demands. Instead, they take revenge on their subordinates.