Kerala police department implements 'Kaval Karuthal' scheme to address policemen's grievances

Thiruvananthapuram: Responding to concerns over the mental well-being of policemen, the police department has initiated measures to address complaints and resolve issues effectively. Policemen, including those up to the ADGP level and their families, now have direct access to lodge complaints through newly formed committees at station levels.

ADGP MR Ajith Kumar, overseeing law and order, issued a circular yesterday to district police chiefs and range IGs, outlining the implementation of the 'Kaval Karuthal' scheme across all districts without delay.

Each station-level committee will comprise the Station House Officer (SHO), a police writer, a woman officer, and the Special Branch Officer of the respective station, along with a representative from the Police Association. This inclusive approach aims to ensure that grievances from all ranks of policemen are heard. Meetings will convene every Friday morning at 9:30 to address complaints, with flexibility granted to adjust timings if the SHO is unavailable.

Unresolved issues from these meetings will be redirected to the District Police Chief, where a similar gathering on Mondays will include the Superintendent of Police (SP) to hear further complaints and concerns from policemen and their families. If SP is unavailable for the sitting, the task should not be reassigned to any other official and a convenient date should be fixed to resolve the problems as early as possible.