Cops posted as cooks, barbers petition Mahakal over officer duties:Call it an insult to their uniform; urge General Duty merger so children never see them as slaves

In a rare and symbolic protest, police constables and head constables from the trade cadre—including cooks, barbers, washermen, cobblers and sweepers—have submitted a written petition at the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain, opposing the practice of being assigned as personal staff to senior officers. This is the first time in Madhya Pradesh that trade cadre police personnel have openly protested against government orders by approaching a religious shrine. Their core demand is to be merged into the General Duty (GD) cadre, allowing them to perform regular policing duties. ‘Our uniform is humiliated,’ petition says “Our uniform today is bent in humiliation. We want our children to never say that their fathers are slaves,” the petition reads. The appeal was submitted collectively by a delegation of trade cadre police personnel at the feet of Lord Mahakal, seeking divine intervention for justice. Around 5,500 trade cadre policemen across Madhya Pradesh are demanding merger into the GD cadre. Promotions given, but menial work continues Police personnel recruited under the trade cadre become eligible to assist district police after completing about seven years of service. However, for the last 12 years, the process of merging them into GD has been halted. As a result, despite receiving promotions, many are still required to perform duties such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or working as personal staff at officers’ homes. In some cases, personnel promoted up to the sub-inspector level continue doing household work for officers. In neighbouring states, similar trade cadre staff have been merged into general duty to address manpower shortages, the petition states. 2012 order cited as root cause In their letter, the policemen said that earlier, under Rule GOP-57/93, trade cadre personnel were merged into GD after five years of service, enabling them to participate in field duties and law enforcement. However, in 2012, the rule was abruptly discontinued following an order issued during the tenure of then DGP Nandan Dubey, allegedly for vested interests. Since then, many of the 5,500 personnel remain stuck in personal service roles. Appeal made through faith, not directly to government Instead of submitting the plea directly to the Chief Minister, the policemen chose to place their petition at the Shivling in the Mahakal Temple, expressing hope that their prayer would “awaken compassion in the Chief Minister’s heart.” The unusual move underscores growing frustration among trade cadre police personnel, who say the current system undermines dignity, equality and the spirit of uniformed service.