Bengaluru, Jun 4 (PTI) : Holding out warnings of strict action and promises to meet their demands, Karnataka government today thwarted a planned protest by constabulary to go on a mass leave.

Police personnel who had threatened to go on leave protesting alleged "harassment" by senior officials, lesser pay and no proper leave were in attendance for work, officials said.

Taking no chances, Central forces, including CRPF, were deployed as a precautionary step.

Attendance of police personnel was "normal" across the city and similar reports have come from across the state, officials said.

Senior police officials and jurisdictional in-charges monitored the developments to ensure that there was no protest by the staff.

Karnataka Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Om Prakash said police are functioning "normally".

He said "in all districts, all commissionerates police have attended duty. There is no protest....life is normal."

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah thanked police for not going on strike and maintaining discipline.

Thanking police personnel, Home Minister G Parameshwara said there is almost about 100 per cent police attendance in the state today.

He said "they have some valid demands; government will openly consider and fulfill them. We only felt that that the procedure they opted to put forth their demand was not right."

Anticipating protest by the family members, security was deployed near police colonies and quarters at different places. Government had threatened to evict families from their quarters if they took part in the protest.

Ahead of the protest, the government promised to consider the demand for increase in wages to be on parity with their counterparts in neighbouring states and to recruit constables to overcome the dearth of police personnel.

However, some organisations held demonstrations at different places in support of the police protest.

Poornima Shashidhar, wife of Akhila Karnataka Police Maha Sangha President V Shashidhar, who was earlier arrested for spearheading the stir, has been taken into preventive custody, as she "tried" to stage a protest, backed by a few organisations, police said.

Bracing itself to deal with the threat, government had brought the state police and related services under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).

Earlier news

Bengaluru: Government holds out stick and carrot on police protest issue

Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 4: As countdown began for the proposed protest by police personnel on Saturday June 4 in support of their pending demands, the government warned the striking police of strong measures, besides announcing various sops to win over their confidence.

Besides invoking provisions of Essential Services Maintenance Act against the police, the government has also threatened to drive away families of policemen from residential quarters if even their families hold protest on Saturday. State home minister, G Parameshwar, said that the families of police have the right to hold protest or seek meeting of their demands within the framework of law. If they hold protest at the instigation of others, it will be treated as indiscipline and there is provision in law to undertake disciplinary action including getting the quarters vacated, he stated.

Addressing media persons after holding meeting with senior police oficers at Vikasa Soudha on Friday June 3, the home minister said that the government is aware that some people have been inciting members of police families to agitate. As the entire police system is like a family, even the members of their families should confine their actions within the discipline of the family, he stated.

At the same time, it is said that police personnel want their agitational route to meet a logical end. If they undertake agitation as planned on Saturday, it will be historic. However, general view emerging from various centres indicate that they may postpone the proposed protest and then wait for the government to meet its promises.

In the meanwhile, the government announced that it will be taking steps to revise pay of police personnel, make it mandatory for officers to sanction weekly off to subordinates compulsorily, issue smart cards to them under 'Arogya Bhagya' scheme, disburse cash instead of ration items along with salary, appointment of 15,000 police personnel over a period of next two years, and construction of 11,000 houses for police before 2018. These announcements were made by Parameshwar, who said that some of the demands have been already met, adding that other demands which have legal and financial ramifications would be met within stipulated time frame. He said that disparity in pay has arisen due to merger of dearness allowances with basic pay and implementing of pay commission recommendations by neighbouring states. He said pay revision will be taken up on priority once pay commission is formed.

In the meanwhile, the state high court, which clearly refused to interfere in the matter of proposed police protest, dismissed on Friday June 3 a petition that had sought a stay on the proposed police protest by way of mass leave on Saturday. Advocate, Amruthesh N P, had filed public interest litigation in the high court, asking it to stay the protest by police as it will give rise to law and order situation. He also prayed the high court to direct the government to meet demands of police. During arguments, additional advocate general, A S Ponnanna, told the high court bench comprising Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath that the government has met 12 out of 35 demands of police personnel, and that the government has entered into dialogue with recognized police union on demands. The high court, saying that it believes that the government will be able to solve the problem, refused to entertain the litigation.