Fearing that people may donate their ill-gotten money to Delhi Police Martyrs’ fund to seek tax exemption, Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar Verma has issued a direction to remove bank account number of the fund from public domain.
Special Officer to Commissioner of Police, Rajiv Sharma in an order issued on Friday directed the force to remove the details of bank account number from the police website and other public domain. He stated that to avoid “unwarranted people” donating money in martyrs’ fund, the bank details should be “removed immediately” from public domain.
The Delhi Police martyrs’ fund is a voluntary scheme given to family members of the police personnel who had laid their lives in line of duty.
To avail the facility, the every member of the force has to donate a day salary in their total tenure of service. “Only those who contribute would be entitled to its benefits, which is up to Rs20 lakh,” said a senior officer.
A day gross salary would be deducted just once in their total tenure of service and they will also get tax benefits. The objective of the fund is to provide financial assistance to the family of a Delhi cop has died in the course of his duty.
The membership of the scheme is open to personnel of all ranks and cadres. In the event of death while performing duty, the policeman’s family members will be get Rs10 lakh. In case death involves gallantry, the benefit will go up to Rs20 lakh.
Ironically, the fund came into being as follow-up to Delhi Police efforts to raise money to help the family of only one of its own. Then Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar announced that all police personnel would contribute their one day’s salary to help family members of constable Subhash Tomar, who died in December 2012, while on duty during protests against December 16 gang rape.
But realising that one day’s salary of 86,000 policemen would add up to Rs8 crore to Rs10 crore, the commissioner clarified that only IPS officers will contribute their one day’s salary for Tomar’s family. Thereafter, he constituted Delhi Police Martyrs’ Fund in February, and a day’s salary was deducted from all serving police personnel.