LESSONS FROM MAHILA POLICE RECRUITS' PROTEST IN GORAKHPUR, UP

The protest by nearly 600 women recruits of UP Police at the PAC, Police Training Centre, Gorakhpur, has raised pertinent questions about the state of training infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh. The young recruits, from diverse backgrounds, including some disadvantaged ones, joined the training with lofty ideals of donning the uniform to take on crime and criminals in the state. Unfortunately, they had such an unpalatable first experience that they had to take the extreme step of collective protest, something unheard of in uniformed services, particularly in a training institution. The concerns of the recruits appear genuine, including cramped accommodation, a lack of sanitation, electricity, water, and hygienic food, as well as the presence of CCTV cameras in the washroom areas. The women recruits were also incensed by a departmental circular mandating pregnancy tests for all recruits, married or otherwise. In response to this crisis, the state government suspended a senior officer involved in the training, and several senior officers were rushed to quell the disquiet and address the concerns of the budding Police officers. Suspension is merely for public optics. It does not address the malaise and lack of preparedness to undertake the enormous task of training so many recruits simultaneously at mostly makeshift training centres. Not long ago, UP had prided itself on recruiting 60,000 young men and women to its Police force, the largest such recruitment on the planet by any country, let alone a state. The recruitment process was completed successfully, utilising technology, human resources, and the state’s infrastructure, without any allegations of unfair practices or corruption charges. The appointment letters to the recruits were distributed with much fanfare by none other than the Union Home Minister in the presence of the UP Chief Minister. The UP Police website claims to have over three lakh personnel. Such a massive recruitment drive, which accounts for nearly twenty per cent of the state’s Police force, also highlights the state’s inability to recruit regularly to contain vacancies within manageable limits without impacting day-to-day policing efficiency and service delivery. It is sad that in our country, recruitment is also used as an electoral tool to garner votes. Vacancies are deliberately allowed to mount before recruitment just before the elections to the state assemblies. Such practices undermine the cadre management, training, and promotion of men and women in uniform. Uttar Pradesh has also recruited a large number of constables in the past. Drawing from their experience, they converted their armed battalions into temporary training centres. All states and central paramilitary forces resort to this practice when faced with unusually large intakes. The commencement of training, however, is preceded by a thorough stocktaking of available infrastructure and logistics. This exercise becomes all the more relevant given that approximately 12,000 women recruits need to be housed and trained in a safe, secure, and enabling environment. It is not confirmed whether an audit of available accommodation, including toilets and bathrooms, kitchens, dining halls, classrooms, outdoor training fields, equipment, dummy weapons, qualified instructors, CCTNS labs, and support staff, was conducted, or what efforts were made to augment the facilities. I recall that when the Himachal Police was required to train a newly sanctioned Mahila India Reserve battalion, the Police headquarters did extensive consultations with several officers and trainers. In fact, a lady IPS officer was handpicked and posted at the chosen battalion headquarters to supervise their training. Women trainers, supervisory staff, and support staff were also identified and posted to the new location. Extra infrastructure was created to suit the requirements of the women trainees before the training began. Not even a single murmur of discontent was heard during their training. The department’s responsibility goes beyond physical training. It is also responsible for equipping Police personnel with the necessary professional and soft skills, resilience, empathy, courage, and wisdom to tackle the modern-day challenges of crime, criminals, and complainants. This comprehensive training is crucial for the effective functioning of the Police force. Good training is like laying a solid foundation for a 30 to 35 years of career in khaki. Police training academies for officers have transformed into centres of excellence in learning in the Police craft. However, the same cannot be said of the training facilities for the junior ranks. Their job profiles and training facilities remain archaic, embedded in the colonial past. There is an urgent need for the rejuvenation of their roles, accompanied by commensurate training inputs and infrastructure. The Gorakhpur protests highlight the state’s inadequacy in creating gender inclusive institutions.  This inadequacy may not be exclusive to Uttar Pradesh. Other states may report similar shortfalls. The decades-old run-down training infrastructure is still primarily suitable for the male incumbents. As the percentage of women in the Police regularly increases to meet the avowed target of 33%, the Police infrastructure must undergo a significant overhaul in the training and work ecosystems, ensuring a sense of security, dignity, inclusiveness, and respect. Aside from punitive measures, the state must urgently take the corrective and more meaningful step of building adequate infrastructure, logistics, and capacity. Even if it means suspending the training of women recruits for a few months, this action is crucial to prevent such incidents in the future. The urgency of these reforms cannot be overstated. The uproar among women recruits, while causing a minor setback to the image of the Uttar Pradesh Police, actually presents a significant opportunity. This is a chance for the force for systematic improvements by identifying and addressing gaps in infrastructure, capacity, supervision, and grievance redressal. It’s also an opportunity to review policies, such as the installation of CCTVs, and address the privacy concerns of women personnel joining the force. This opportunity for systemic improvements should be embraced with optimism and determination. Other states can also learn a great deal from the Gorakhpur incident and upgrade their infrastructure accordingly. The lessons from this incident are invaluable and should not be overlooked.   Over the last few years, the UP Police have earned a good name for themselves. They should build on this culture by taking the frustration and anger of their newest recruits constructively. This positive reputation should serve as a source of pride and motivation for the force to continue its good work. (The article appeared in the Tribune on 28.7.2025) https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/premium/gorakhpurs-women-recruits-expose-a-broken-system/