Mumbai: Police personnel won't be taken on contract, says Maharashtra Dy CM Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis. Photo: Atul Kamble/Midday

Maharashtra Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said in the state assembly that police personnel will not be taken on contract. Fadnavis, who is also the state home minister, said he will give a detailed statement on the matter.

Raising the issue in the House, state Congress chief Nana Patole said, "You (the government) are recruiting police personnel on a contract basis. Your ministers are also on contract. When they take a briefing (from officials), they twist answers which is why questions take time to be answered. Give pointed replies."

Responding to this, Fadnavis said no ministers are on contract.

"If you want to come on contract then we will think about it. Nowhere are police personnel taken on contract and it will not be done. I will give a detailed statement on it," the deputy CM said.

In a bid to overcome the shortage of constables in the Mumbai Police force, the state government has given the nod to outsource 3,000 personnel from the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC).

The state home department issued an order to this effect on Monday.

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The opposition in Maharashtra, in the meanwhile, on Tuesday raised concerns over the plan to rope in "contractual personnel" by the Mumbai police and said the "risky" move will be detrimental to the force as well as to the public.

Raising the issue in the legislative council, Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve said the control of police should be under the state government, PTI reported.

"It is dangerous and risky," he said in the state legislative council.

Danve claimed adding contractual cops to the Mumbai police force could lead to a "Wagner group" like situation, referring to the Russian private military force's "rebellion against President Vladimir Putin" last month.

In a dramatic development last month, Russia's mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called for an armed rebellion and claimed that his forces had military facilities in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don under their control. While he ordered his troops to head for Moscow, Prigozhin abruptly halted their march later.

"I oppose recruitment of police on contract. It will lead to law and order problems. What if the 'police' do not obey government orders? A security guard can be on contract, but a policeman cannot be on contract," he said.

In the Upper House, Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap sought to know what fear goons will have of the "contracted policemen". He also asked about the status of the tests conducted for police recruitment earlier this year.

Talking to reporters on the premises of the state legislature, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Rohit Pawar said the move will be detrimental to both people as well as the police administration.

"This (contractual police) is creating a smaller brother of Agniveer (recruits under Centre's Agnipath scheme)," Pawar said. (Agencies)