Thiruvananthapuram: Dismayed over the fact that police officials do not salute him while passing the city in his official vehicle, Thrissur Mayor MKVarghese on Friday took up a complaint with the new Kerala police chief DGP Anil Kanth.
'Police officials turn away at the sight of my vehicle,' the former air force official said. In the complaint to DGP Anil Kanth, Varghese demanded that an order is passed to rectify this "mistake".
"This salute is not for me, instead it is for the post that I occupy. In my defence career I have given and taken salutes. I have studied the protocols and it is very clear that in the Corporation area, according to the protocol, the Mayor is third in the list after the Governor and the Chief Minister," he said.
"While police officials here salute the legislators, MP and other police officials, who are at lower levels in the list of protocol, the Mayor is being denied this. This is wrong and I have raised the issue with the new state police chief. Let us wait and see what happens," he added.
Varghese, who won the civic polls as a rebel Congress candidate, was a surprise choice for the Mayor as in the 54 divisions of the Corporation, the Left won in 24, the Congress in 23, and the BJP in six.
The Left offered Varghese the post of the Mayor for the first two years and he accepted it. His first year will end in December.
Police sources here, however, explained that the Mayor should be saluted only during the programmes being held within the Corporation limit, as per rules.
Meanwhile, Kerala Police Officers' Association (KPOA) made it clear that the State protocol manual clearly stated that who should be saluted and on which occasions.
"But, such things are only for government programmes. Giving salute is a custom which the police personnel are viewing with great value. It can be given to only those who are legally eligible," C R Biju, general secretary, KPOA, said in a Facebook post. It is not something to be given to everyone who wants it, he added.
(With IANS, PTI inputs.)