Pramesh S Jain
The Karnataka government has sanctioned a monthly hardship allowance for 626 police personnel serving in 33 police stations under the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE),recognising the challenging nature of their duties in investigating atrocities against members of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The order,issued by the Social Welfare Department on July 27, 2026, follows the Finance Department’s approval dated July 21, 2026.
The decision comes after a recommendation made by Mohan Kumar Danappa,Member of the Karnataka State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA),who had urged the government to extend hardship allowance,special allowance and mandatory weekly holidays to personnel serving in DCRE police stations.
In a letter dated July 1, 2026,addressed to the Director General of Police,Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement, Danappa pointed out that the 33 DCRE police stations, established as special police stations to exclusively investigate offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, were functioning with inadequate staff and excessive workload.
He stated that each DCRE police station caters to an entire district, forcing a limited number of personnel to shoulder district-wide responsibilities.
He also noted that the staff were required to keep the stations functional even on government holidays,unlike several other special police units,resulting in the cancellation of holidays previously available to them.
According to the recommendation,DCRE personnel were not receiving benefits such as weekly off,special allowance or hardship allowance available to personnel in many other police stations.
The absence of these incentives had discouraged police personnel from opting for deputation to the DCRE unit, while many serving officers and staff had complained of mental and physical stress due to the increased workload.
Danappa urged the government to provide mandatory weekly holidays,special allowance and hardship allowance in the interest of the personnel’s welfare and to ensure efficient investigation of atrocity cases.
Acting on the proposal subsequently submitted by the Director General of Police,Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement, and after obtaining the concurrence of the Finance Department,the state government approved the hardship allowance.
Under the government order:
33 Police Sub-Inspectors (PSIs) will receive a monthly hardship allowance of ₹2,000 each.
181 Police Head Constables (HCs) will receive ₹2,000 each per month.
412 Police Constables (PCs) will receive ₹3,000 each per month.
The allowance will benefit a total of 626 police personnel posted in the DCRE’s 33 police stations across Karnataka.
The government said the DCRE is a specialised police unit functioning under the Social Welfare Department, tasked with investigating offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,enforcing civil Rights laws and functioning as a protection unit for vulnerable communities.
The 33 DCRE police stations were established under a government order issued on December 6,2024,with one police station in each district and two in Bengaluru city.
According to the government,DCRE personnel perform duties identical to those of officers in regular police stations,including registering FIRs,investigating cases, arresting accused persons,visiting crime scenes, assisting investigating officers and maintaining 24×7 beat patrols.
With only one DCRE police station in each district, the personnel are responsible for handling atrocity cases across the entire district,leading to increased operational responsibility
