Upheavals in the state police force in the last couple of days have set alarm bells ringing at the police headquarters.

After trainee cops clashed with senior officers on Friday, the top brass headed by director-general of police (DGP) K.S. Dwivedi held an emergency meeting that lasted for about an hour.

A senior Indian Police Service officer posted at the headquarters told The Telegraph that the DGP expressed concern over increasing incidents of indiscipline in the force. “The DGP has asked his sub-ordinates to devise ways to check recurrence of such incidents,” the IPS officer said, requesting anonymity.

Fridays’ violence at the New Police Line comes on the heels of a similar incident on the campus of the Bihar Military Police (BMP) on Wednesday following the alleged molestation of a female trainee cop by an inspector-rank officer in the latter’s office.

In both incidents, trainee women constables were involved.

“The way these trainee female constables are behaving with their seniors is not good for the police force. They are very arrogant and should be dealt with an iron hand,” said a former DGP, who did not wish to be named.

A superintendent of police-rank officer, who had earlier served as commandant of the BMP’s woman battalion stationed at Sasaram in Rohtas district, said that the violent protest by the female cops has caused embarrassment to the Bihar police and also maligned their image. “They are least bothered about their training,” the officer claimed.

Another commandant said that the trainee constables were being asked to perform their duty like regular cops. “That is why they demand for leave on par with regular cops,” the commandant said.

The commandant pointed out that the trainee women constables are granted two days’ leave a year apart from special leave every 20 days.

“Their training schedule is very hard. That is why many women constables fall unconscious at the parade ground every day,” he revealed.

On the other hand, a male constable is entitled to 16 days’ casual leave and 20 days’ compensatory paid leave, besides medical leave. The number of women constables and sub-inspectors has increased in the state police force due to 35 per cent reservation for women.