gardening
The SP has been accused of making cops water plants in her garden. (Representational image)Creative Commons

After it was alleged that the Superintendent of Police of Karnataka's Mandya district was making 18 policemen do odd chores at her official residence, the senior cop has denied the allegations and said that they do it voluntarily.

What were the allegations?

Videos of police personnel washing clothes at Mandya SP G Radhika's official residence, watering plants in her garden and accompanying her family members to places were circulated on social media. Besides, videos, which shows police personnel in plainclothes carrying out household chores or waiting outside Radhika's official residence, sources have also confirmed to a news outlet that police personnel have been doing odd jobs for her.

According to The Times of India, a total of 18 policemen, including assistant sub-inspectors, are doing menial jobs for Radhika. The sources also added that at least three police drivers ferry Radhika's family members to places.

The videos, which were recorded by a few policemen, have stoked controversy as the system of orderlies was scrapped off in Karnataka in 2016.

What is the system of orderlies?

The system of orderlies dates back to the colonial times. Earlier, there were 2,500 orderlies in Karnataka. These orderlies were police constables who had been initially trained in crime detection, maintaining law and order situations and traffic management. But they ended up doing petty jobs like washing clothes, cutting vegetables, cleaning dishes and gardening at the houses of policemen of higher authority.

Mandya SP rubbished allegations

SP Radhika, a 2012-batch IPS officer, has refuted the allegations. "I categorically deny that I have engaged those police personnel in menial works at my official residence. They are just servicing the official residence of a senior police officer and they would usually do that voluntarily," TOI quoted the SP of the Mandya as saying.

She even said that she did not engage any of the policemen who do her household chores. "Every police personnel is trained to render voluntary services. Also, there is no rule that only lower rung police personnel should do those services. The personnel seen in the videos are neither engaged by me to do menial works nor am I enforcing the orderly system," Radhika added.

Radhika lives in a British-era bungalow that has a huge garden.