Sohail Abbas spent 29 years as a Delhi Police Constable, working tirelessly to go up the ladder, but the promotion remained elusive. Recruited in 1987, he was one of the thousands of men and women who stood guard in the sweltering heat and biting cold for years but did not get a single promotion.
Finally, as many as 25,827 personnel received their due in 2016, when the Delhi Police became the first force in the country to carry out promotions at such a large scale. The department has even written to the Limca Book of Records in this regard.The promotions in the department had been pending for decades due to various reasons. The major reason was that the sanctioned strength for various posts did not increase even though the number of people being recruited at the entry level kept going up. With several key posts lying vacant for years, Commissioner of Delhi Police Alok Kumar Verma was prompted to take the decision.
“I have four daughters and one of them got married recently. This time, however, my rank was different. The best part was when I visited the house of her in-laws in Bihar and the entire village came to congratulate me,”said Rakesh Kumar, who joined the Delhi Police in 1989. The former Head Constable was promoted to the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI).
Kumar said his rank has affected his family as well. “My wife and kids kept asking me when will I be promoted. Now, the rank change has brought a smile to their faces,”he said.
Similarly, Anil Kumar, now a Head Constable, waited for 18 years. “The feeling of attaining something that my family was also waiting for is unbelievable,”he said.
As many as 143 persons were promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), 405 to Inspector, 803 to Sub-Inspector, 12,874 to ASI and 11,603 to Head Constable.
“It’s a record in itself. The Delhi Police have gradually become a force of around 85,000 personnel. In the last two years, the number of registered cases has also gone up manifold. This will definitely boost the morale of the force and instill enthusiasm in them,”Joint Commissioner of Police Dependra Pathak said.
