In the rugged hills near the Chhattisgarh–Telangana border, jawans and cadre officers have been deployed for months to fight Naxals. Their daily reality is stark: scarce drinking water, no chance to bathe for weeks, and the constant strain of hostile terrain. Yet, amid this hardship, the Director General (IPS) of the force insists on being supplied with a particular luxury brand of bottled water—no matter the location, whether Ladakh’s cold deserts or Bijapur’s conflict zones.
When a young officer dared to point out the glaring disparity—that troops were parched while their leader sipped premium water—the DG retaliated by ordering an inquiry against him. This episode is not just about VIP culture; it exposes the deep disconnect between the IPS brass at the top and the men and women who bear the brunt of operations on the ground.
The Ministry of Home Affairs recently told the Supreme Court it is considering “statutory intervention” to bypass a judgment granting Organised Group A Service status to CAPF cadre officers. This move, risks entrenching a system where IPS deputation continues to dominate CAPFs, despite the Court’s call for progressive reduction. The analogy is clear: like a Raja misled by Zamindars, the government hears only the intermediaries, not the peasants. The cadre officers—our modern “peasants”—are denied recognition, while IPS deputation flourishes.
The irony is that CAPFs consistently outperform state police in operational efficiency. The reason is simple: in CAPFs, cadre officers lead at the ground level, while IPS sit only at the top. In state police, IPS dominate every rung. Over time, IPS has become synonymous with scandals and inefficiency, while CAPF cadre officers—recruited through UPSC and trained rigorously—remain professional, dedicated, and willing to sacrifice.
India abolished Zamindari decades ago, but it survives in CAPFs through IPS deputation. The Supreme Court offered a chance to end this imbalance, much like the Coast Guard is led by its own cadre. Yet the government, misfed by IPS lobbying, risks undoing this progress. If cadre officers are denied their rightful leadership, they will be left with no option but prayer.
This is not just an internal matter of the forces. It is about fairness, dignity, and the credibility of governance. If those who sacrifice most are denied even basic respect, what message does that send to the nation?
