Bhubaneswar: The passing out parade of Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF) held at 7th OSAP Battalion in Bhubaneswar was a jubilant affair all around but for the service weapons, that not only endured the disdain of their custodians but also the abuse of public.
While the newly graduated cadets were busy making faces at the front-facing camera of their cell phones, their estranged service weapons fell victim to the domestic disrespect by family members and acquaintances accompanying the jawans in their passing out ceremony.
Not only grown-ups, but also kids dwarfed by the weapons’ sheer size and weight ran amok with the service weapons of the jawans in what is seen as a gross and blatant violation of police manual.
Surprisingly, though senior officials were present during the ceremony such disrespect to service weapons went unnoticed.
“It’s not right but we have never held a rifle in our hands. So we wanted to hold it,” said a relative of a passing out cadet.
“Rifle is a very significant thing which has to be kept with the cadets and jawans at all times. May be some of the cadets got carried away and allowed their family members to hold their weapons,” said a passing out cadet.
“The guidelines suggest that rifle is a personal weapon and the person who has been allotted the weapon should not desert it or give it to anyone else. The rifle cannot be handed over to anyone. Such a practice is illegal and in complete violation of the police manual,” said former Police DG, SN Tiwari.
However, later in the day the ADG of OSAP ordered a probe into the whole incident after it came to light.
In the past, a few policemen have landed in controversy for taking selfies with their service weapons and sharing it on social media.