Private guards have no set selection criteria

NEW DELHI: Can a middle-aged ex-cook make an able security guard? The agency that hired Munna Lal, sentry at a management school in Qutab Institutional Area, is obviously convinced he does. The 53-year-old from Bijnaur, UP, is matter-of-fact about the tangential career move: "Kise ko budha khansama nahin chahiye. Mujhe manpasand kitchen nahin mila, is liye socha, kyun na guard ki naukri kar loon.(Nobody wanted an aging cook. Since I couldn't find a kitchen befitting my standards, I decided to become a guard.)''
Security in public places like malls, offices, cinema halls as well as inside colonies, is a mockery of the term. The guards are often overage and pot-bellied, or too young and raw to know the difference between lathi and baton. But the over-worked and underpaid chowkidaar, who sometimes works more than 18 hours a day it's not unusual for him to take on both day and night shifts to support a large family is a victim of a system that refuses to acknowledge his plight. Beer Singh Chauhan, for instance, is a 45-year-old who has manned the gates of an institution in Qutab Institutional Area for about a year. "Security agency se bas ek lathi mile hai (All I've got from the agency is a lathi),'' he says. On the rolls of a private security firm for Rs 4,000 a month, he says he had hoped his employers would give him an overcoat or at least a blanket for the winter months. His friend Mahavir Singh who guards a nearby building, claims that a certain private agency had not paid his salary of Rs 3,000 for months. "Mujhe chodna pada ab mein kahin aur kaam karta hoon, jahan paise mil jate hein, par mere saath bahut nainsafi hui hai (I had to leave I now work for another agency and get my salary on time, but I've really had to suffer at the hands of private agencies.''
The guards are also inadequately trained by agencies that claim to have rigorous programmes in place for new recruits. Jitendra Kumar, is a 26-year-old from Uttarakhand, who has worked as a security guard for six months at a residence in CR Park. Before this, he was a door-to-door-salesman. When asked what kind of training he had received, he promptly said, "Salute karna, uniform theek se pehanna, aur aate-jate logon par nazar rakhna (To salute smartly, wear my uniform properly and also to keep an eye on people moving in and out of the premises.)''
Imanullah, a 50-year-old guard who works at a residence in upmarket GK-II, complains that the residents haven't provided him with a booth or even toilet facilities. "I have to walk to the market to relieve myself this is the state of guards in posh homes.'' When asked if he could handle armed assailants, he simply said, "I'll dial 100.''
Group 4 Securities (G4S), with around 1,25,000 guards in the country and 9,000 in Delhi (NCR), is adamant about the quality of guards it deploys. Robinder Ohri, director, security, cites the Private Securities Agencies Regulation Act (2005) and the mandatory training of guards that is required under it. "A tough module at our Central Training Academy in Mahipalpur, that includes physical fitness, access control, fire-fighting, crowd control, first aid, a thorough examination of documents and the ability to identify improvised explosive devices (IEDs) depending on the site is in place for our recruits. Our guards are among the most competent in the country,'' he explains. He also mentions the fact that two G4S security guards lost their lives at the Oberoi and Trident hotels, on November 26. "They were the first line of defence; there were others who helped evacuate over 200 guests.''
Apart from the basic training, guards from licensed agencies are also expected to recognize various ranks in the armed forces, skilfully utilize security devices and possess a basic knowledge of the Indian Penal Code. A formidable list of accomplishments, evidently missing in the humble neighbourhood chowkidaar. Pradip Varma, standing sentinel outside a bank in GK II M-block market, is a 21-year-old form UP who admits that this is his first job in the big city. Clearly unaware of the enormity of the responsibility that rests on his young shoulders, he says, "Agar kise par sandeh hota hai, to hum rok lete hein, (If someone looks suspicious, we stop him from entering the bank),'' undoubtedly believing that there's not much more to guarding a bank.
Colonel (retired) K Ohri, regional director of the Fireball Group, insists that the agency with a total of 4,000 guards does whatever it can to train the guards and keep their morale high. The salaries, guided by the Minimum Wages Act 1948, are around Rs 3,800 for Delhi. "But in certain areas that are high-traffic or prone to violence, we pay the guards as much as Rs 6,000,'' affirms Ohri. He also mentions the fact that the agency provides new recruits with two sets of uniform, but complains, "A lot of young guys take the uniforms and never return; so now we give one set when they join, and one, a few weeks after they have reported to work.'' Larger agencies like G4S also claim they provide benefits like an employees' provident fund, accident insurance and bonuses. "What else could they possibly ask for?'' asks Ohri. A closer look would perhaps reveal the gaps between what the textbooks say and what the ground reality is.radhika.oberoi@timesgroup.com