PSI Kailas Arune (L) with police chief Pandey
MUMBAI: Thursday was Kailas Arune’s last day with the Mumbai Police where he had served for four decades. But his retirement day had special significance. Arune had been promoted as a police sub-inspector (PSI) earlier that day by Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey, who had stayed in his office till Wednesday midnight for signing of the promotion papers.
The promotion means that Arune could retire as an officer rank and get better post-retirement benefits.
“I broke down during the farewell ceremony,” said Arune, who until Wednesday was an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) with Aarey Colony police station. “On technical grounds, I couldn’t be promoted earlier though I was eligible. I had made peace with the fact that I would probably retire as an ASI and my desire of becoming an officer would remain unfulfilled,” he said.
In February, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had sanctioned a proposal to expedite the promotion of police constables in Maharashtra. The post of police naik was abolished, paving the way for faster promotion of ASIs to the PSI rank. The condition was that the police personnel should have completed 30 years of service and have served as an ASI for at least three years. A government resolution to this effect was passed, benefitting nearly 45,000 constables in Maharashtra.
For Arune, a certificate was the only thing holding back his promotion. “When I joined the force in 1982, submitting a caste certificate was not required. When it became mandatory, it took me six years to procure the certificate. This delayed my promotion,” he said.
Arune had moved to Mumbai in 1981 from a tiny hamlet in Ahmednagar and joined his brother to work at a textile mill here. “It was then that I heard about police recruitments for the first time. Applicants were required to have cleared at least class VIII. Since I had studied till class IX, I applied,” he said.
Arune had trained well for shooting and spent a large part of his service in the protection branch, being assigned as a bodyguard for VIPs.
His next stint was with the traffic department. “I learnt how to keep my cool even when motorists got abusive,” he said.
Recollecting an incident when he was on duty on a Kandivli road, Arune said a couple and their two children on a motorcycle were riding in the wrong direction and narrowly escaped a crash. “I asked the couple why they were in such a hurry and why they were risking their lives. But they got furious and began arguing with me, threatening to call up the police control room. They calmed down only when I pointed out that we were standing under a set of surveillance cameras,” he said.
Five days before his retirement, Arune put forth his request for a promotion before police chief Pandey and informed him that he had already fulfilled the conditions as required in the government resolution. Pandey promised to look into his case.
During Thursday’s ceremony when 83 other policemen were given a farewell along with him, Arune took the dais and poured his heart out. “It was the happiest day of my life,” he told TOI.
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PSI Kailas Arune (L) with police chief PandeyMUMBAI: Thursday was Kailas Arune’s last day with the Mumbai Police where he had served for four decades. But his retirement day had special significance. Arune had been promoted as a police sub-inspector (PSI) earlier that day by Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey, who had stayed in his office till Wednesday midnight for signing of the promotion papers. The promotion means that Arune could retire as an officer rank and get better post-retirement benefits. “I broke down during the farewell ceremony,” said Arune, who until Wednesday was an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) with Aarey Colony police station. “On technical grounds, I couldn’t be promoted earlier though I was eligible. I had made peace with the fact that I would probably retire as an ASI and my desire of becoming an officer would remain unfulfilled,” he said. In February, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had sanctioned a proposal to expedite the promotion of police constables in Maharashtra. The post of police naik was abolished, paving the way for faster promotion of ASIs to the PSI rank. The condition was that the police personnel should have completed 30 years of service and have served as an ASI for at least three years. A government resolution to this effect was passed, benefitting nearly 45,000 constables in Maharashtra. For Arune, a certificate was the only thing holding back his promotion. “When I joined the force in 1982, submitting a caste certificate was not required. When it became mandatory, it took me six years to procure the certificate. This delayed my promotion,” he said. Arune had moved to Mumbai in 1981 from a tiny hamlet in Ahmednagar and joined his brother to work at a textile mill here. “It was then that I heard about police recruitments for the first time. Applicants were required to have cleared at least class VIII. Since I had studied till class IX, I applied,” he said. Arune had trained well for shooting and spent a large part of his service in the protection branch, being assigned as a bodyguard for VIPs. His next stint was with the traffic department. “I learnt how to keep my cool even when motorists got abusive,” he said. Recollecting an incident when he was on duty on a Kandivli road, Arune said a couple and their two children on a motorcycle were riding in the wrong direction and narrowly escaped a crash. “I asked the couple why they were in such a hurry and why they were risking their lives. But they got furious and began arguing with me, threatening to call up the police control room. They calmed down only when I pointed out that we were standing under a set of surveillance cameras,” he said. Five days before his retirement, Arune put forth his request for a promotion before police chief Pandey and informed him that he had already fulfilled the conditions as required in the government resolution. Pandey promised to look into his case. During Thursday’s ceremony when 83 other policemen were given a farewell along with him, Arune took the dais and poured his heart out. “It was the happiest day of my life,” he told TOI. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA