The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to give special compensation and jobs to the family of slain Kunda Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia-ul-Haq has led to rumblings among police cadres in the state, who are demanding similar treatment for those killed in the line of duty.
Four policemen who have been killed in the course of duty in the last one month have been extended monetary compensation as per the norms with no special treatment, leading to resentment among the cadres, who feel that "there should not be any discrimination in the case of martyrs and sacrifice of police personnel".
Senior Inspector R P Dwivedi was killed in Allahabad while chasing auto lifters, constable Rahul Dhaka was shot dead in Saharanpur when a police team was trying to intercept a gang of four robbers fleeing after looting cash from two petrol pumps in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana.
Constable Aniruddha Singh was gunned down by criminals near Bareilly on June 7 and his body was sent to his home town Deoria without the mandatory shroud, leading to protests in his village.
President of Provincial Police Service association Jugal Kishore said that he would not like to comment on the policy of the government as he felt that the sacrifice of all police personnel should be treated equally and all martyrs should be treated at par.
Former DGP of UP police K L Gupta said that discrimination, if any, should be for the betterment of the family of the deceased and not otherwise.
"Whatever is given in the form of compensation to the family of the deceased losing life in the discharge of duty is less, but the signal should not be conveyed that anyone is being discriminated upon," Gupta said, adding that otherwise good people would not be motivated to join the police force.
