Bengaluru/Chitradurga: A show of defiance against a woman sub-inspector turned into a lesson in discipline for 17 police personnel in the state after she made it clear that insubordination won’t be tolerated: She ordered all of them to stand in the blazing sun and lift their arms!Photos of the constables with their arms up have gone viral, triggering a debate on the action: Did she do the right thing or was she too stubborn?At the centre of the incident is sub-inspector Netravati, posted at Chikkajajur police station in Chitradurga district. The drama unfolded during morning roll call Sunday when one of the constables allegedly addressed her disrespectfully. Unable to identify him, she demanded that the group name the person responsible. When met with silence, she decided to act. What followed was a strict disciplinary drill. Netravati ordered the group to stand in attention with rifles held aloft outside the police station building for nearly two hours. She reportedly questioned each cop during the exercise to identify errant cop. “Even she stood in the sunlight during questioning,” a senior police officer said. The intense drill took a toll on some personnel, with a few, including those with health conditions like diabetes, reporting uneasiness. They were moved indoors and treated, though officials said there was no evidence of hospitalisation. While the incident sparked debate on social media over the severity of punishment, senior officers largely backed her firm stance. “Netravati did the right thing. We are a disciplined force and such incidents (usage of singular against a woman officer) cannot be tolerated,” a senior IPS officer told TOI. SI transferredThe matter prompted an official review. Superintendent of police, Chitradurga, Ranjith Kumar Bandaru said, “I have directed the DySP to probe the matter and submit a report.”On Wednesday evening, the home department buckled under pressure and ordered her transfer to the district police control room. A retired police officer said: “Ideally, the 17 personnel should have been transferred to other stations, but govt chose to move move her out, and that is unfortunate.”
