Chennai cop refuses to pay 1-day salary for Sri Lankan relief, here's why

A Chennai policeman, deployed as security at Madras high court, has refused to give his one-day salary to provide relief for Sri Lanka, the island nation severely crippled by its worst-ever economic crisis.

In a letter addressed to the Chennai deputy police commissioner, the policeman, M Janardhanan, said that he has been working in the Tamil Nadu police department for the last 18 years. And, they had been asked to give their one-day salary for providing relief to Sri Lanka, however, he was reluctant to do so.

Janardhanan also gave a slew of reasons why he was not keen to offer his money for the Sri Lankan cause. Firstly, he said that the Sri Lankans had killed India’s prime minister and the Tamil people as well.

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“During the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi a lot of policemen were also killed and affected,” he wrote. Moreover, due to Tamil Nadu government’s cancellation of payment of salary during compensatory offs, they had lost 15-day salary benefits.

Another reason cited by Janardhanan is that the state government has not implemented the dearness allowance announced by the Centre and neither had it considered the recommendations of Justice Kirubakaran to raise the policemen’s salary.

Further, pointing out that ‘charity begins at home’, it is good that the Tamil Nadu government decided to help Sri Lanka. “However, when I am unable to meet the ends of my family with the salary I am receiving, it is difficult for me to give away my one-day salary to the Sri Lankan cause,” he said, reiterating that hence I refuse to give my one day salary.