Chennai: A day after IPS Officers Association backed the police inspector who was repremanded by Kanchipuram Collector P Ponniah, Director General of Police, J K Tripathy has now come out in support of the cop.
In an open statement to those personnel who were on duty in Kancheepuram for the Athi Varadar vaibhavam, the top police official quoted American leader Theodore Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles…the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena… whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming… if he fails at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
“Every policeman, woman in the arena has made a tryst with history in this moment of glory. The media and social media bear ample witness to the aforesaid assertions, as is the prevalent public opinion,” he said.
He also stressed it was important to sustain the hard work and motivation until the completion of the duty on 17 August and that even a minor lapse will taint all the hard-earned glory.
He further praised the personnel for doing a scintillating job in the peaceful conduct and facilitation for devotees at the Kancheepuram temple. The temple has been attracting lakhs of devotees on a daily basis.
A video footage of Kanchipuram Collector P Ponniah purportedly threatening a police inspector that he will be suspended for alleged lapses in crowd management at the Lord Athi Varadar festival went viral recently.
Reacting to the incident, IPS Officers Association had recently stated that it expected all sections of society to respect policemen. IPS Officers Association’s Tamilnadu Chapter president Prateep V Philip noted that TN police department is making all arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of the festival at the Kanchipuram temple.