Women CPO rank holders protest with placards written in blood on Vishu

Thiruvananthapuram: Marking the 13th day of their ongoing agitation, women Civil Police Officer (CPO) rank holders staged a protest in front of the Secretariat here on Vishu day (Monday), holding placards written in their own blood.

Dressed in black as a sign of dissent, the protestors highlighted the looming expiry of the rank list on April 19. With only five days left, they stated that their attempts to engage in dialogue with the authorities have repeatedly failed.

As part of the symbolic protest, they collected their blood to write the message "Save WCPO 585/2022," underlining their urgent appeal for action.

Women Civil Police Officer (CPO) rank list holders have been protesting, claiming that the government is deliberately neglecting the rank list, which was established in 2022. They allege that only a limited number of individuals have been appointed from the list. Last week, the protestors sought to meet the Chief Minister at his secretariat office but were unable to secure an appointment and had to leave without a discussion.

On Saturday, women Civil Police Officer (CPO) rank holders staged a symbolic mime performance in front of the Secretariat to highlight their ongoing struggle. Many of the protestors revealed that they had faced immense personal challenges, such as studying during pregnancy and leaving jobs, to secure their positions on the rank list.

Out of the 967 candidates on the list, only around 30% have received advice memos (recommendation letters) from the Public Service Commission (PSC), and just 213 have been appointed so far. The rank holders accused the government of failing to honour its commitment to increasing women's representation in the state police force.