Bengal police, headed by the chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday have clearly mentioned five specific situations where civic volunteers can be deployed.
Kallol Ganai, inspector general of police (IGP), welfare, has issued an order in this regard.
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Bhabani Bhaban, state police headquarters at Alipore, has directed police administrations across districts to strictly implement the newlymade job profiles of civic volunteers immediately.
District police chiefs have been asked to ensure that ‘a civic volunteer is not entrusted with any law enforcement duties.’ Bhabani Bhaban was prompted to prepare job profiles of civic volunteers after the Calcutta High Court (HC) directed the state government a few days ago to define role of the civic police.
According to the new role defined by the state police, civic volunteers will assist police personnel in respective police units for traffic management. They can also assist cops during major festivals in the state and also in places where unauthorized parking of vehicles occurs. They can also carry out duties in connection with public assistance and unit heads of police in respective areas will give them assignments.
The order also states that guidelines related to induction, training and termination of duty of civic police need to be followed.
The HC on Tuesday had directed the Mamata Banerjee government to define the role of civic volunteers in assisting regular police forces in maintaining law and order and prepare detailed guidelines on this account.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha had directed the state government to prepare the guidelines and submit them to the court by 29 March.
The Bench was hearing a petition against Sarsuna police station regarding the case of missing youth. It was alleged that he was taken into custody by two civic volunteers and since then he has been missing. His family members filed a petition on this account seeking justice.
The opposition parties frequently alleged that the civic volunteers are principally the uniformed cadres of the ruling Trinamul Congress.
