Bhubaneswar, April 26: The civil society’s protests against recruitment of tribal youths as special police officers (SPO) by the Orissa government to combat the growing Maoist menace have gone unheeded in the past.
However, the issue now seems set to spark a controversy in the wake of the Supreme Court’s critical remarks about the use of SPOs in Chhatisgarh. The apex court, while hearing a petition filed by academician-cum-activist Prof. Nandini Sunder, recently directed the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government to explain as to how the state had “let loose gun-toting special police officers (SPOs)” on the tribals of Dantewada and other naxalite-infested districts after hiring them on short contracts during which they were paid a pittance.
The court questioned the central and state governments on training and procedure being adopted regarding appointment of the SPOs while raising serious doubts about the constitutional validity of such recruitment.
The Orissa government, according to sources, has recruited 5,600 SPOs during a period of over three years to assist the state and paramilitary forces engaged in fighting the Maoists.
Senior officials said that the recruitments that began in 2008 had been done in two phases. While 3,500 tribal youths with a basic police training of three-and-a-half months were drafted in as SPOs in the first phase, another 2,100 were hired in the second phase.
Sources said the appointments were in the nature of a contract, valid for three years, with the SPOs being paid Rs 4,500 as monthly remuneration. However, those who proved their worth during the contract period, were to be absorbed as constables in the regular police force. At present, there are 750 SPOs in Kandhamal district while Koraput, another naxalite-prone district, has 650 of them.
While home secretary U.N. Behera asserted that there was nothing wrong with recuitment of SPOs which had been done in accordance with law, some senior police officials said that with a short training of three-and-a-half months these youths could hardly be expected to have the weapon skills of regular policemen or the knowledge of law which is important for policemen.
“Regular constables undergo training for a year. Their level of education, too, is much better than the SPOs who can be recruited if they have passed Class VIII examination. In case of constables, the academic qualification earlier was matriculation, but now it is Plus Two,” said an officer under condition of anonymity.
Criticising recruitment of the SPOs, civil society activist Bidut Mohanty said there was always a lurking fear of these ill-trained foot soldiers misusing their weapons. “On the other hand, they could also become soft targets for the Maoists,” he said. Last year, an SPO in Malkangiri district was gunned down by the Maoists who had dragged him out of his house.
Sources said that Human Rights Watch, an organisation dedicated to safeguard human rights, had also advised the government against recruitment of the SPOs. The government, in fact, continues to defend the recruitments.
While Kandhamal SP Praveen Kumar said that 750 SPOs in his district had given a good account of themselves, his Koraput counterpart Anup Sahu said it was wrong to think that these youths were being used a combat force against the Maoists.
“They have not been recruited as a fighting force. They don’t have that kind of training. Their recruitment is more in the nature of an incentive to wean them away from the Maoists and there the government seems to have succeeded,” said Sahu.
