GRP men entering their own chowky to be prosecuted!

A group of 30-odd Government Railway Police personnel attached to the CST division and responsible for keeping watch at Byculla railway station have been ousted, so to speak, out of their chowky at Byculla railway station.

Disciplinary measure? Constables complain that since SI Deshmukh has locked up the Byculla chowky, they have to go to public toilets

Their senior inspector (SI) has placed the chowky off-limits by snapping a lock on it.

A note on the door reads that if any constable tries to intrude, he would be booked on the charge of housebreaking.

SI Surendra Deshmukh of CST GRP explained his decision and the notice, saying that it is to increase police presence on railway platforms.

But the GRP staffers affected by the decision claim that it is just a torture technique.

Already frustrated as they haven't yet received July's salary, they alleged that the officer has been harassing them by imposing such absurd orders.

No place to eat, sit
"We sit on a street bench throughout the day while the senior police inspector sits in his air-conditioned cabin. He has closed the only chowky available to us so that we can't catch any rest at the chowky. There is no place even to eat our tiffin, we eat at platforms. And to change clothes, we go to public toilets," said a police officer attached with the CST GRP who is posted at the Byculla chowky.

A constable from the chowky told MiD DAY, "We are yet to get our salaries and it is the 18th of the month. My loan installment has bounced. Yet, we work with full integrity. If the senior inspector has found somebody sitting in the chowky instead of doing rounds at the station he should punish him, but why punish us all? Now, we don't have a place to eat, change or rest. We are not superheroes that we can work at a stretch without even a small break."

"The senior inspector has been dealing with the staff in an arrogant manner," alleged another constable.

"If we approach him with a leave application he throws it in the dustbin. Sometimes, he threatens to beat staff members. He says he knows some ministers and has got the plum posting through them, so nobody can shift him," said another constable with the CST GRP.

When contacted, SI Deshmukh of CST GRP said, "I can't comment on an internal matter."u00a0