Beed SP directs cops to address each other by first name, not surname to eliminate caste bias

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jan 27 (PTI) The superintendent of police in Maharashtra's Beed district has directed police personnel to address each other by their first names and not surnames in an attempt to eliminate caste bias.

Talking to PTI, Beed SP Navneet Kanwat said this step will give a sense of neutrality.

Kanwat was posted as SP of Beed last month after the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, who was abducted, tortured and killed on December 9 for trying to stop an extortion attempt against an energy firm operating a windmill project there.

"If we want to change the (social) environment in Beed, we must start from our homes. People identify the caste of officers from their surnames. So, we have stopped addressing each other by surnames," he said.

The senior official said all personnel have to address each other by their first names, and he has put this into practise and officials address him the same way.

"The police's duty is to ensure law and order, and there should be no caste consideration. We can't be biased. I have tried to bring change in the department," he said.

"If we want change, we need to start somewhere, and we have done it," he said. PTI AW ARU