Maharashtra: Police in Beed told not to display full names on uniforms to avoid caste tensions

In a bid to avoid caste tensions, police officers in Maharashtra’s Beed district have been directed to not display their full names on their uniforms, The Indian Express reported on Friday.

Name plates carrying only the first names of officers are also being distributed, a first-of-its-kind step in Maharashtra.

Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat, who took up his post in January, issued the order following protests over the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in the district and a Bharatiya Janata Party supporter.

“The Beed Superintendent of Police has issued the directives to all police personnel in the district to address each other by their first names and put their first names on their uniforms and avoid surnames,” The Indian Express quoted Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Ingale as saying on Friday.

He added that police officers were also given name plates carrying only their first names to be placed on their tables.

Vinod Patil, a key member of the Maratha Kranti Morcha, welcomed the move and said that the police department was the only wing where there was no union or groupism, The Indian Express reported.

Haribhau Rathod, an Other Backward Classes leader, said that while the intention of the directive was good, it was important to change officers’ mindsets as well.

Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village,...

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