Kolkata murder case: 'Can't let civic volunteers become a rogues' gallery'
Times of India | 11 August 2024
Civic volunteers assist cops but their contracts are renewed every 6 months KOLKATA: On a day when a civic volunteer was arrested for raping and murdering a medical students, former police officers and a section of those still in service called for a thourough background checks of those applying for the job.
"We can't let civic volunteers become a rogues' gallery," said a retired joint commissioner of police. "Since 2022, civic volunteers have often involved in kidnapping and robbery cases.But the Friday incident has put serious question marks on the recruitment process," he added.
His juniors, those still serving in office, claimed that such incidents bring bad name to the force. "A cop is trained and disciplined. But a civic volunteer is not. He is not part of the police. But with mounting complaints against them, the force is getting dragged into the muck. There should be checks and balances in place," claimed a serving ACP from the traffic unit.
Though officially termed civic volunteers, many still refer to them as 'civic police'. This force was originally created in Bengal to assist the police. However, there are numerous instances where civic volunteers considered themselves equivalent to the police. The Anis Khan murder case is a significant example, and there have been many other controversies involving civic volunteers.
Last year, the state faced questions in court regarding the work of civic volunteers. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha had ordered the creation of guidelines for civic volunteers. The state police IG was instructed to prepare these guidelines and submit them to the court.
During the Left regime, there were no civic volunteers. In 2008, the municipality created a force called 'Green Police' to control traffic in Kolkata. The main initiative to form this team began in 2012. According to the CM's office website, a decision was taken in 2013 to recruit 40,000 police officers and 1.3 lakh 'civic police volunteers' due to insufficient police personnel. The website also states that 1,19,916 individuals have been recruited into this team.
According to administrative sources, the original idea behind forming the force was to recruit civic volunteers on a contractual basis to assist the police. The contract was to be renewed every six months. Their primary responsibilities included traffic control and managing crowds at fairs and festivals.