23.5 C
New York

Remove tattoos within 15 days or face action, Odisha cops told

Published:

BHUBANESWAR: An order directing police officers in Odisha’s Special Security Battalion (SSB) to remove tattoos from their bodies within 15 days or face

disciplinary action

, has stumped cops and angered

legal experts

.
Bhubaneswar police’s announcement of adopting zero tolerance against cops flaunting tattoos – irrespective of their designs or themes – saw many policemen on the ground wearing full sleeves & covering their necks to avoid the tattoos from being seen.

SSB personnel

provide security at vital installations, including Orissa HC, CM’s residence, Raj Bhawan, secretariat and state assembly. Sources said a few bureaucrats and judicial officers took offence to SSB personnel showing off their tattoos at events in the city recently, prompting the commissionerate to impose a complete ban on tattoos for policemen.
Sources said around 1,100 personnel of different ranks are currently deployed under the SSB unit, and a significant number of them – mostly serving in the lower rung – have inked their hands and necks with tattoos themed on love, dragon, lion, religion, rose and skull, etc.

Legal experts found the diktat peculiar. “In the Army, tattoos that are not offensive are allowed. If a police officer tattoos his name or any theme he likes, this should not be objected to by seniors. An officer’s conduct and professionalism should be assessed from his duty, not from his tattoo. This order should be revoked,” senior advocate Sidharth Das said.
However, DCP (security) Sudhakar Mishra, who issued the order, said any type of tattoo of on-duty personnel is deemed offensive and flouts decorum of police service. “We’ve found that a good number of men in the SSB unit have tattoos on their bodies. The tattoos are offensive, obscene, and derogatory in nature. It demeans the image of the SSB unit, as well as

Odisha Police

,” the order stated.
DCP Mishra has deputed some of his senior staff to locate the tattooed cops and ensure they remove the inked designs permanently from their bodies within a fortnight, failing which they will face disciplinary action.

Related articles

Recent articles

spot_img