After women constables protest at UP training camp, 2 senior officers suspended, DIG removed

In a statement, the UP Police said Commandant Anand Kumar and Physical Training Inspector Sanjay Rai, both suspended, used “inappropriate language” with the women recruits.

The protest began Wednesday morning, two days after the training began for the newly recruited batch. Of the 600 women recruits assigned to the centre, 598 reported for the nine-month training programme.

Inspector General (PAC) Preetinder Singh said after some of the women raised concerns, senior officers reached the training centre and found that a “technical fault” had caused a “temporary disruption” in the power supply, which impacted the water supply, Singh claimed that the electricity issue was “resolved promptly after discussions.”

He also claimed that an allegation about a camera being installed inside the bathing area was found to be “baseless” during the inquiry. Strict action will be taken against those “spreading false information on social media”, and efforts are underway to identify them, he said.

Before he was suspended, Commandant Anand Kumar told The Indian Express that frequent power cuts on Tuesday night had disrupted the generator’s functioning, affecting the recruits’ sleep. “As a result, several constables missed the morning parade and began protesting… There is also a shortage of water,” Kumar said, adding the size of the batch of constables was “larger than usual”.

When asked about the allegations of lack of privacy, Kumar said, “They were unwilling to bathe in a common enclosure. So it has been decided to install partitions in the washrooms to ensure privacy.”

In a video that surfaced on social media, a woman, purportedly a new recruit, is heard asking, “If there were no proper arrangements, why were we called here?” Others complained about drinking water shortage, electricity issues, and lack of private bathing areas. Some also questioned the decision to call a large number of recruits at once for the training.

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the UP Police said the Uttar Pradesh government and the Police Headquarters have taken serious cognizance of the issues raised by the women recruits and has taken action on the directions of the UP Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna.

On the basis of available facts and preliminary inquiry, DGP Krishna found Anand Kumar guilty of lax supervision and negligence in the discharge of his responsibilities, the statement said.

The government has posted Additional Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar at PTS, Gorakhpur, while ASP Niharika Sharma, now posted at the Central Reserve Store in Kanpur, has been directed to take charge as Acting Commandant of the 26th Battalion PAC, Gorakhpur.

Sources said the police department has decided to improve water storage and deploy a high-capacity generator at the centre. “The Gorakhpur district administration, local police and the electricity department are coordinating with the 26th Battalion PAC Centre,” an official said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to inaugurate a barrack tower for personnel at the 26th Battalion PAC in Gorakhpur on Thursday.

Around 60,000 newly recruited constables across Uttar Pradesh, men and women, are undergoing training at different centres at present.