In what is seen as a remarkable move on behalf of Praveen Sood, IPS, Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, the Karnataka state police ends the years of practice wherein police officers wait to salute senior police officials when they are on district tours. Calling it a feudal practice, Sood said district SP, inspectors or even sub-inspectors need not be present on road for a salute.
Leading by example, Sood issued a circular that encourages other senior police officials to follow the similar path. The move is aimed at preventing time being wasted while waiting for senior officials to pass by, which is usually an hour or even more.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Sood said: "My car will pass by in 10 seconds but the respective staff member will be waiting for more than an hour for that 10-second passage, away from his official duties. He won't be able to attend to the public too. If I want to talk to someone, I will send him a message to be available for a meeting."
Ending feudal practice
Soon said the rule applies to all senior officers travelling by road. Earlier, Sood had stopped SPs from the practice, but the new order extends to lower rank officers too.
"These are all old feudal practices which need to be stopped," Sood added.
The new circular does not mean a lower rank officer will stop saluting or respecting his or her superior when met in person. A few Superintendents of Police have already issued circulars to their staff asking them to stop the feudal practice during their visits. "I have asked my staff members to follow the circular and not wait for me when I am on district tours or visiting police stations. It is better for the staff to carry on with their work. We need to put an end to such decorative practices," T Sridhar, SP of Koppal district, reacted.
