A Delhi Police constable has lodged a complaint against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for referring policemen as ‘thulla’ in an interview with a news channel. The contestable has demanded registration of a case under the Section 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code. Two more such complaints have been given at Dabri and Govindpur police stations against the Chief Minister by policemen. ‘Thulla’ is a derogatory slang commonly used in Delhi to refer to a policeman.
The constable, identified as Harvinder in his complaint, said that he was shocked to hear this word from the Chief Minister. He said that policemen work day and night leaving their family behind. The Chief Minister should be booked under the Section 504 of the IPC. Sources in the police station said that a written complaint has been lodged at lajpat Nagar police station and the investigation has been started.
Similar complaints have been lodged at two more police stations in Dabri and Govindpuri by the policemen. Till late night no case was registered in any of the complaints.
It may be noted that in his interview to ‘India Today’, Kejriwal had said: “A case can be lodged by the Anti-Corruption Branch against anyone for being involved in corrupt practices. But these people say you can’t lodge a case against members of the Delhi Police. If a ‘thulla’ of the Delhi Police asks a roadside vendor for money, a case should not be registered against him, this is not acceptable.”
Reacting on Kejirwal’s remark, the Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi had said he could not believe any person would use such a word. “I believe all institutions and instrumentalities of the state must have respect for each other. Nation-building can be done only when we have mutual respect for each other. I refuse to believe that the honourable Chief Minister has said any word of this sort,” Bassi said.