Guwahati: Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh on Tuesday said a fitness survey of police personnel, including Indian Police Service (IPS) and Assam Police Service (APS) officers, would be conducted, and those found "unfit" would be given voluntary retirement (VRS) from service.
The top cop took to Twitter to say, "In line with directions of the Hon @CMOfficeAssam, @assampolice Hq has decided to go for professional recording of Body Mass Index (BMI) of all Assam Police personnel including IPS/APS officers and all DEF/Bn/Organisations."
The police personnel will be given three months to work on their fitness, after which their BMIs will be recorded.
"We plan to give three months' time to all Assam Police personnel including IPS & APS officers till August 15 and then start BMI assessment in the next fifteen days. All those who are in obese (BMI 30+) category would be offered another three months time to reduce weight (till November end) and after that VRS option, except those who have genuine medical reasons like hypothyroidism etc. @DGPAssamPolice would be the first to have the BMI taken on August 16," Singh further said.
Last month, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that around 300 Assam Police personnel, who are "habitual drinkers", would be given VRS.
The Chief Minister said that these police personnel drink excessively and adversely affects their service. The public also have serious complaints against such police personnel, the Chief Minister had said.
Chief Minister Sarma said the procedure had already begun, and fresh hiring would be done to fill the 300 vacancies. The CM further said rules were already there for such offenders but were never implemented.
Sarma, in a meeting with the police top brass, had instructed them to "remove deadwood from the force" to make the state police a fitter organisation.
The Assam Police currently has a workforce of around 70,000 personnel.