Chief Minister's medal will no longer be given to police officers with a tainted record

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Chief Minister's Police Medal will no longer be given to those who abuse and torture people with the power of their uniform. Also those directly convicted of disciplinary action within ten years will no longer be eligible for the medal.

Those facing vigilance and departmental investigations and those convicted in criminal and vigilance cases will not receive the medal. Those who face disciplinary action after being nominated for a medal will also be disqualified. The medal will now be awarded only to those with good character in the police.

This is a step towards improving the behavior of the police towards the people.The medal will be awarded after a thorough scrutiny of the officers' tenure. The police medal has been increased from 285 to 300 per annum to promote the best officers.

Women who have served for seven years will now receive the medal. The police chief may recommend three people for the medal.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had withdrawn the police medal allotted to the SI who was involved in cases. The action was against SI VV Natesan, who was awarded the Chief Minister's Police Medal on Republic Day 2015.

After the medal was awarded, the government received several complaints against Nadesan. An inquiry by the DGP found that there were civil cases against Nadesan in the Vaikom Municipal Court and that the government had received a complaint that he had insulted the locals.