Police personnel across several districts of Rajasthan boycotted Holi celebrations this year to draw attention to their demands.
Traditionally, police officers from constables to Superintendents of Police (SPs), Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), and Inspectors General (IGs) celebrate Holi at district police lines, usually the day after Dhulendi.
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However, this year, no celebrations took place on Saturday in many districts, including Jaipur, Udaipur, and Ajmer.
Authorities had arranged colors, gulal, sweets, and snacks for the event, but in many places, these remained unused.
In contrast, police personnel in some districts, such as Bharatpur and Karauli, were seen celebrating, applying gulal to each other and enjoying sweets.
The protesting police officers are demanding corrections to anomalies in their pay scales, seeking parity with other state government departments. They are also advocating for regular and time-bound departmental promotions.
An official spokesperson stated that there was no official call for a boycott, though social media messages encouraging it were circulating.
Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, BJP leader and Agriculture Minister Dr Kirodi Lal Meena, and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Tika Ram Jully have urged Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to consider the police personnel’s demands. They also appealed to the police to participate in Holi celebrations.
Dr Meena encouraged the police to celebrate the festival with traditional enthusiasm and assured them that he would take up their demands with the Chief Minister.
Congress leaders Gehlot and Jully emphasized that their party has raised the issue in the ongoing budget session of the state assembly.
“In the future, we will continue to stand by them and support their demands,” they added.
