Drivers of the police department in Gujarat are under the scanner for illegal activities. The police have received multiple complaints about some of these drivers engaging in illegal activities while posing as cops.
It must be noted that Gujarat police have outsourced 1,250 drivers for their vehicles. These drivers come from various private agencies.
The DGP office has now issued a directive for these drivers to wear a specific uniform: a sky-blue shirt, dark grey trousers, and black belt and shoes.
“And there would also be a name plate, with the name of the agency from which they have been hired and their own names clearly mentioning ‘Outsourced’ from a particular agency,” said a top police official..
These drivers aren’t used in anti-terrorism or crime branches, given the sensitive nature of those operations. “However, such drivers are used by police and other law enforcement agencies including drivers of some of the government vehicles provided to high-ranking police officials,” a senior police official noted.
These drivers earn around Rs 500 per day. Districts employing these drivers have been told to enforce the new uniform code.
“We also instructed officials concerned that if the outsourced driver is found not wearing a uniform, strict action will be taken and the agency from which he or she has been outsourced would be blacklisted,” said a senior police official.
The move comes after an extortion racket involving two traffic cops and a Traffic Reserve Battalion (TRB) jawan was exposed. They were caught after they forced a couple returning home from Thailand to pay them Rs 60,000 without any reason. Police vigilance has ramped up, particularly around Ahmedabad Airport after this. DGP Vikas Sahay has made it clear: such incidents won’t be tolerated and will result in strict action.
Also Read: August Witness Highest Seizure Of Drugs In Over Two Years
