Gorakhpur,

24 July (HS): Two senior officials, including the commandant of the 26th

Battalion Provincial Armed Constabulary, were suspended after female police

constable recruits protested over bad living conditions in their barracks and

privacy issues, according to an official. Women police constable recruits

protested on Wednesday at the 26th Battalion Provincial Armed Constabulary

(PAC) campus in this city, citing inadequate living conditions and

mismanagement at their training facility.

A

video circulating on social media supposedly showed trainee constables stating

they were forced to bathe outside owing to a lack of suitable facilities. According

to an official release, Platoon Commander Rajeev Krishna and RTC (Recruit

Training Centre) in-charge Sanjay Rai were immediately suspended on the orders

of Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) for failing to address the

women trainees' concerns swiftly.

Furthermore,

based on preliminary findings and investigations, the DGP recommended that 26th

Battalion PAC Commandant Anand Kumar be suspended by the Uttar Pradesh

government for insufficient supervision and neglect on duty. Following the

proposal, the administration suspended Commandant Kumar on Wednesday.

Niharika

Sharma, Additional Superintendent of Police, has been appointed commandant of

the 26th Battalion PAC in Gorakhpur. Following the demonstration, top

authorities informed recruits that infrastructural renovations, including new

bathrooms, were underway and that any early interruptions were due to

technological concerns. Preetinder Singh, Inspector General of PAC Central

Zone, also denied reports of cameras in restrooms and confirmed the suspension

of a physical training instructor for using inappropriate language. The 26th

Battalion PAC facility, which functions as a police training school, has

enrolled 598 female constable candidates from several districts in Uttar

Pradesh as part of the 2023 batch.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi