Officers-in-charge of several police stations, additional officers-in-charge and former police officers met police commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal on Sunday to express their “disappointment” over CBI arresting Tala police station OC Abhijit Mondal and urged the CP to ensure adequate legal help for him.

Sources said several officers from Mondal’s 1996 batch and those junior to him along with former officers of the rank of assistant commissioner of police met Goyal to convey their disappointment.

“Our standing in the society and our prestige is taking a beating despite being the ones who are always the first to be in the line of duty,” said a police officer who attended the meeting with Goyal.

“Our men are always at the receiving end be it Nabanna Abhijan or any other movement. One of our colleagues has nearly lost his eye. And we are being tarnished.”

Hours after Mondal was arrested on Saturday night, a group of men gathered outside the CBI’s office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake and flashed slippers when the officer was being taken out for production at the Sealdah court. Some of them even shouted slogans against the Kolkata Police before they were taken away.

Several officers said they had reached the CGO complex on Saturday night following Mondal’s arrest after nearly seven hours of questioning.

“He has faced the investigating team at least six times. So where is the charge of non-cooperation against him?” asked another officer of Kolkata Police’s north
division.

Goyal did not respond to messages.

But sources said the police commissioner called in another senior IPS officer, who was heading the probe of the rape and murder of the 31-year old postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital till the time the investigation was with the Kolkata Police, and asked him to join the meeting at Lalbazar.

“At the meeting, it was decided that several officers from Kolkata Police would be present at court every time Mondal is produced for hearing to lend him moral support and make him understand that the force is with him. It was agreed upon that best legal support would be extended to Mondal during the trial,” one officer who attended the meeting, said.

The meeting also decided that Mondal’s family would be provided adequate security to thwart any attack by an irate mob and a section of former police officers would try and reach out to the masses through different social media platforms explaining the challenges that an officer on duty has to face while shouldering his responsibilities.

“With the Pujas round the corner, almost all senior officers of the force are extremely busy. We know our deliverables. But we are trying to raise our voices against an attempt to malign us publicly,” the officer said.