Guwahati: Shape up or ship out. The alarm had been sounded for Assam cops. A fitness test for the 67,000-strong force, including senior officers, is underway in the state.
Assam top cop Gyanendra Pratap Singh also turned up for the fitness test - body mass index (BMI): weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared.
Having a higher BMI, says research, is associated with a greater risk of certain conditions, such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
The BMI tests are being conducted in as many as 36 locations across the state. All Indian Police Service (IPS) officers posted in the state will also be taking the test.
Those found unfit will be given three months to get into shape. They will be tested again at the end of three months. If they fail again, they will be made to take voluntary retirement.
"We have decided to make Assam police fitter and healthy. First port of call is checking BMI... After the result are out, those found obese will have to come to police training college where the doctor will help them. We will make a similar data base for blood sugar and pressure," said Gyanendra Pratap, Director General of Police (DGP), Assam.
Women officers are also part of the exercise.
"We have all taken this positively. Since even if you go to doctor, they give BMI test so it's good to know how fit we are, and this will make the personnel aware of their health issues," said Sharmistha Baruah, Additional Inspector General of Police, Assam.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, at a virtual meeting with the top police brass recently, had strongly advocated for removing the "deadwood" from the police force - habitual drinkers, those with extreme obesity and with charges of corruption against them - to turn the force into a responsive and action-oriented one, an official statement had said.