Mumbai police told to lose the paunch or lose their jobs

Posted By Sophia Jones Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 12:32 PM Share

The classic American ‘donut-loving cop' stereotype is not so funny in India. Five overweight police officers collapsed during a short parade in Mumbai earlier this year due to an unfortunate heat and pot-belly combo. City commissioner Arup Patnaik was humiliated and demanded that all policemen trim their waistlines or risk enduring a sort of extreme weight loss boot camp that few police officers pass.

The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Kerala recently conducted a survey and found over 50 percent of police officers were either overweight or obese. Obesity has become one of the leading causes of death even though half of all Indian children suffer from malnourishment, reports VOA. The police chief of the western state of Rajasthan voiced his dismay over obesity in the police force:

"A fat potbellied man in uniform is a sight nobody appreciates."

Just over the border, overweight Nepali officers also face intense scrutiny. Last year, the police force pledged to institute annual health tests alongside personal fitness regimes for every officer in the force of 56,000. Bigyan Raj Sharma, a spokesman for the police force in Kathmandu, threatened overweight police officials, saying:

"Officers who fail will be barred from promotion and transferred to less well-paying posts."

An anti-obesity clinic is in the works for a police hospital in Mumbai and it seems India's officers have no choice but to slim down -- or face the wrath of their mothers. Yes, the new weight-loss campaign includes the wives and mothers of male officers to ensure that they are sticking to their diets by supporting healthier eating habits. Say bye-bye to mango lassis and hello to Atkins.

PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images

EXPLORE:HEALTH, INDIA
 

DORTHA KEASLER

2:46 AM ET

August 17, 2011

There is no such thing

The biggest problem regarding security is the structural division between the national and local governments. The official report on the 2008 attacks criticized them both for failing to maintain ready and capable police forces. It also highlighted the lack of coordination among the police, intelligence agencies, and government once the attacks were under way. Nearly three years later, the Mumbai security forces appeared to have been no better prepared to prevent terrorist attacks. Within hours of the blasts, Prithvirajjada fire Chavan, the chief minister of Maharashtra, the state in which Mumbai is located, claimed that the national government had never cleared a 2008 request from the Mumbai police (which he supervises as the chief executive authority of the state) for 5,000 closed-circuit cameras. The televisions may not have prevented the July 13 attacks but would have aided the investigation of them. He also claimed that he was in the state government offices during the explosions along with other senior officials and "felt so helpless when I could not get across to the police chief, as all lines were jammed. We need to upgrade the communication system."

 

AXELBROOK

6:46 AM ET

August 19, 2011

Spanish-American war around

Spanish-American war around 1898 that was caused by Yellow Journalism after a boiler on a naval ship exploded while docked in Cuba, then a report came out that it had been attacked and the country wanted war by then. After that we turned on our Phillipine allies to take their land, so to speak. It ended in a stalemate with us taking a beating. RIO 1901 came Teddy Roosevelt and he was a true imperialist..

 

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