Leave application must be in English only, UP top cop tells staff

Lucknow : Den Ranjan Verma, the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur, has ordered his staff to apply the leave application only in English. He has also advised them to read English newspapers.

The senior police official issued the order after classes and workshops were organized at several police stations, the district headquarters and the police lines over the past week.

Following the order, the staff members have already started buying English guides and books for learning purpose.

Additional Director General Law and Order PV Ramasastry said that he did not have any information about the orders and that the decision was taken at the district level.

DIG Devipatan division, Rakesh Singh, said that he too did not have any information about the decision.

"There are no such instructions from the higher level. Whether the use of English is important or not, it is a policy decision and the Police Recruitment Board, the DGP and others assess what skills our personnel need. I cannot say anything more about this," he said.

2011 batch IPS officer, Den Ranjan Verma, has claimed that his staff has already started learning English and some of them are also taking help from Google to write the applications in English.

"I check the applications and correct spelling mistakes. I want them to read English newspapers, buy dictionaries and I will be going to various police stations to ensure this," he said.

A senior police official in Lucknow, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that they were waiting for a word from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on this decision.

"The SP has done this on his own and unless we get to hear from the Chief Minister, we will neither approve nor disapprove of the initiative," the official added.