Kochi: The Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB) landed in trouble after it sought ‘Hindu’ police officers for duty during a temple festival here.
After the Police Association filed a complaint against the request, the Cochin Devaswom Board corrected the letter and sent a new one without mentioning religion.
The Cochin Devaswom Board had sent a letter to the Ernakulam city police commissioner on December 21 requesting to deploy ‘Hindu’ policemen and women to control the crowd and traffic besides maintaining law and order at the Sri Siva Subrahmanya Swayambhoo Temple in Vyttila for the Thaipooya Kavadi festival scheduled to be held on February 8.
On receiving the letter, the police association expressed dissent and filed a complaint with Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran. The police association demanded that the force should not be divided based on religion and caste. They demanded to deploy police personnel at places of worship without religious discrimination.
The police association also filed a complaint with the city police commissioner.
When asked about the letter, the Thrippunithura assistant commissioner of Cochin Devaswom Board explained that it was the ‘usual style’ in which they used to send such requests.
However, as the letter created a controversy, the Cochin Devaswom Board withdrew the letter and sent a new one to the city police commissioner without mentioning the religion.
