'SC, ST, OBC' marked on chests of newly-recruited police constables in Madhya Pradesh; inquiry ordered

The Madhya Pradesh Police has come under the spotlight after photographs of their newly-recruited constables sporting markings of ‘SC’, ‘ST’, ‘OBC’ on their chests went viral, according to media reports.

News18 reported that the medical tests were conducted at the local district hospital in Dhar, which is 60 kilometres from Indore.

According to sources, the officers resorted to this method to segregate recruits and ensure they were given the benefit of relaxation in selection norms.

Sources from Dhar claimed that the minimum height of the candidates from general and OBC categories should be 168 centimetres while for SC/ST categories should be 165 centimetres, News18 reported.

Birendra Kumar Singh, Dhar superintendent of police, admitted that the recruits were marked, but denied that there was any such authorisation to conduct a medical exam this way,  Financial Express reported . He added that a probe has been ordered, according to the report.

Hindustan Times  reported Director General of Police (DGP) Rishi Kumar Shukla, while taking cognisance of the matter, clarified there were no “bad intentions” behind the move. Shukla said the step was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure that there was transparency in the norms for physical measurements of these categories, according to the report.

With inputs from agencies