When Kerala police have been facing criticisms for their behaviour in many cases, latest reports from Adoor indicate there might as well be widespread corruption. Adoor SP J Jayanath has submitted a report to DGP indicating an irregularity at the Adoor Battalion subsidiary canteen amounting to Rs 55 Lakh.
According to the report, a senior police officer from the headquarters had sent instructions via WhatsApp to procure items that are difficult to sell worth Rs 42.29 Lakh, while items worth Rs 11.33 Lakh are missing from the stock. Moreover, objects worth Rs 2.24 Lakh have not been included in the accounts. Jayanath had recommended independent auditing at the state level as well as dismantling the current canteen committees to repair the damages. He noted that if a small canteen such as Adoor could report such large numbers, then it is possible that there are bigger corruptions happening in larger canteens across the state.
Interestingly, Jayanath — who is the KAP Third Battalion Commandant — had submitted initial findings of corruption with DGP Lokanath Behera on November. Since no action has been taken against perpetrators, Jayanath submitted a second report recommending his findings and a state-level audit on January 4. However, the government had reportedly started department level inquiry against Jayanath a week back citing insubordination and indiscipline. This inquiry was based on the DGP report that Jayanath lacked indiscipline.
This is at a time when the Kerala police are currently reeling from multiple accusations of violence, police brutality, custodial torture, and unruly behaviour against citizens. The inquiry seems to be a counteraction against Jayanath for having exposed the corruption within the system. The Chief Secretary has appointed senior IAS officers B Ashok and Biswanath Sinha to inquire into Jayanath’s alleged insubordination, and have asked the committee to submit the report within two months.