Marxists bat for 10 pc women quota in police

Chakrabarti first sent the proposal in July last year and after he received no response,he sent a reminder in November only to follow it up with another one in January this year.

“We have told the Kolkata police that they could go ahead with their plans. But we know that there is no provision for reservation on the basis of gender in the

Constitution. So we have told them that if they are challenged in court,we won’t back them,” state Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told The Indian Express.

The Kolkata police,meanwhile,are also throwing their weight behind the proposal.

“We will make some mechanism to make the scheme viable. We will have to find a way to overcome the constitutional hurdles. We want reservation for women in Kolkata because we need more women force in police. If the government approves it,we will consult our lawyers to decide on the modalities,” said Javed Shamim,Joint Commissioner of Police,headquarters,Kolkata police.

Incidentally,the state government had earlier proposed women reservations in the Fire department,but the plan went for a toss as objections were raised on the constitutional validity of the recruitment.

The matter has been pending with the department for the last nearly 10 years.