Kashmir Police Service (KPS) officers have been facing gross discrimination in terms of promotions, fixation of seniority and salaries as compared to their Kashmir Administrative Officer (KAS) colleagues, though both groups are being selected by same authority-State Public Services Commission (PSC) though Civil Services Examination. Sources told news agency CNS that most of the KPS officers are up in arms against the government though they are unable to give vent to their anger and frustration. Unlike KAS officers, the KPS officers have no union as unionism in Jammu Kashmir Police Department is banned.A KPS officer on condition of anonymity said that government has been playing with the talent and hard work of the police officers. “You will not believe that 2011 batch of KAS officers are to be promoted to the next grade and KPS officers of 2001 batch are in same grade. We don’t have any grudge with the KAS officers but we want government to adopt same yardstick for both the cadres,” he said.He added that the State High Court in December 2011 in a writ petition titled Anita Sharma v/s State had asked the Home Department of the State Government to re-draw seniority list of the KPS officers. However, even after lapse of about five years, the Government hasn’t issued the seniority list.
Another KPS officer said that a KAS officer upon his promotion gets Pay Band-3 with Grade Pay 6600 while KPS officer, when promoted, gets into Pay Band-3 with Grade Pay only 5600, thereby creating disparity in the grades.As such, they pointed out, a KAS officer without being inducted into IAS reached Pay Band 4 while a KPS officer retires in Pay Band 3, leading to massive difference between pay and pensionary benefits of the KAS and KPS officers.There are no guidelines/ scheme as far as career progression of KPS officers is concerned. The stagnation with regard to State Police (Gazetted) officers has reached at its peak. The career of nearly 400-500 Gazetted officers comprising batches of 1999, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 is at stake,” they pointed out. “The problem with KPS officers is that they can’t express themselves and can’t bring problems faced by them into the notice of the government. We want to know what happened to the committees formed by the government. What happened to the recommendations of those committees?” The level of disparity between KAS and KPS officers can be gauged from the fact that SRO 386, which addresses all concerns of KAS officers is not applicable applicable to State Police (Gazetted) officers. (CNS)