2 Kolkata Armed Police staff suspended for ransacking barracks over 'unhygienic conditions'

Kolkata: At least two personnel of the Kolkata Armed Police's fourth battalion were suspended on Saturday for allegedly ransacking their barracks in Salt Lake over "unhygienic conditions" there during the COVID-19 outbreak, sources in the police department said.

Late on Friday evening, several personnel of the fourth battalion of Kolkata Armed Police had ransacked their barracks in Salt Lake demanding suitable working conditions amid this the pandemic, they said.

Following this, a probe was initiated to find out who "instigated" the personnel of the force.

"Some of them were identified and out of them two were suspended on Saturday late evening. Strict actions will be taken against others who will be found responsible for the vandalism.

"If they have any problem they should have passed on their message regarding their dissatisfaction to the senior officers, but ransacking your own barracks is not the proper way," the source said.

A video of the alleged incident, purportedly showing police personnel hurling bricks at senior officers who had rushed to the spot to pacify them, started doing the rounds on social media networking sites

Incidentally, on May 20 around 500 police personnel of the Kolkata Police's Combat Force had staged a massive protest at the city-based Police Training School (PTS) questioning why they were put on duty in areas where there were risks of them getting infected with COVID-19.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has to rush to the PTS complex and pacify them and after personally assuring them of looking into their demands.