Chennai: After being denied a climb up the ladder, an inspector of police with the city police department announced on social media that he was going to surrender his promotion and awards given by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2004.
Interestingly, inspector Peter Jawahar has an impressive track record. He was part of the 700-odd police team combing the forest areas in search of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan who died in a police encounter; Peter was also part of a special team which killed two gangsters in the city in encounters. But today he feels ‘insulted’.
“I am submitting my papers before the City Commissioner A K Viswanathan, who is my unit officer, as I am not given promotion based on seniority,” he says.
“I was in the forest area for two years. After Veerappan’s encounter, we were rewarded a plot and Rs 3 lakh cash, and promotion. I was promoted from sub-inspector to inspector of police in 2004. The promotion and rewards for the good services were given out of their own willingness,” he said.
However, that was his last promotion. The normal course of promotion from one stage to another is 10 years, but for him it was long overdue – delayed by an additional six years.
His promotion and that of seven others was challenged by his ‘colleague officers’, and the case has been going on for 12-13 years in the Supreme Court.
“I took the matter to the notice of the Home Secretary and Chief Minister. Yesterday, the Supreme Court judge pronounced that if the government considers, they have no objection for the promotion. The Supreme Court did not raise any objections. But the officers in the Secretariat, misled the Home Secretary and Chief Minister; they are saying that there are more cases pending in the High Court. They do not understand that the Supreme Court has given a free hand to the government,” he says.
So, why was his promotion challenged by his colleagues? “Those promoted were of different cadres – police head constable, sub-inspector, inspector, assistant commissioner, deputy commissioners and so on – close to 700 of us. It was claimed that it was mass promotion and no proper assessments were carried out. I do agree it was mass promotion. But the operation was conducted in a mass area, nearly 12,000 square km spread over Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka borders – one individual cannot handle it. I was there in 2001 and in 2004 during the concluding part of the operation,” he explains.
Peter had been part of special teams which eliminated notorious gangsters Suresh from Vyasarpadi and Sura of Korukkupet. He received gallantry medal from Tamilnadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and many good service awards and rewards.
But today, he says with regret, “I am being insulted by officers. Junior officers have bypassed me. I am made to salute them. It gives me mental agony. I tried my level best to fight but I am not given any solution. I should have been promoted 2013-end as a DSP and been in the ranks of an Additional Commissioner of police now.”