The Karnataka government is hoping to convince the police personnel not to protest. (Representational Image)
Police personnel in Karnataka, more used to handling protests, plan to stage a protest themselves on Saturday. A mass casual leave has been planned to highlight the difficult working conditions - and a number of policemen are expected to take part in it.
The protest will be led by a man dismissed from the force many years ago - and he says things have to change.
"The police constables are facing slavery and oppression. For the last three or four decades, they have been undergoing these problems and they've been doing menial jobs. They're not getting their due payment," said V Shashidhar, president of the Karnataka Police Mahasangha, who was dismissed from service in 1990, allegedly for forming a group to press for their demands.
There is a lot of disparity in the salary structure of the Karnataka police and their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He said the police personnel are also not granted leave, hence the plan to go on a mass casual leave.
The Karnataka government is hoping to convince the police personnel not to protest -- and they do not recognise Shashidhar's standing in the matter.
Home Minister G Parameshwara said, information has been collected from other states regarding police salaries and it will be considered during the "next pay revision".
Regarding harassment by senior officers, he said action will be taken - as before -- if there are any specific cases. "I appeal to them not to heed to some of these people who are not in the force. Please stop your attempt to go on a mass leave. I don't call it a strike but a mass leave," the minister added.