Can Wear Salwar-Kameez: Bengal Police relaxes uniform rules for staff during pregnancy & postpartum periods | Kolkata News

The West Bengal Police has relaxed uniform norms for its women personnel during their pregnancy and postpartum periods, allowing them to wear white or khaki salwar-kameez instead of the standard shirt and trousers.
In a notification, the department said, “It has been observed that women police personnel face practical issues in wearing the conventional uniform during pregnancy or lactating phases. In many cases, women police personnel are willing to perform duty during these phases. It is imperative to have a relook at the uniform specifications for this period to facilitate an efficient performance of duty by women employees.”
“Keeping in mind the fact that women personnel these days work throughout their pregnancy, the department deemed it necessary to make an adjustment in uniform norms,” a senior officer said.
The notification states that women personnel can opt for the salwar-kameez from the 12th week of pregnancy and 12 months after delivery, subject to approval from their respective units. While some districts already had exemptions for pregnant and breastfeeding policewomen, central rules were also in place. Therefore, many women had to wear saris or shirt-trousers and faced issues wearing tight uniform on duty,” said an in-charge of a women police station.
The new guidelines emphasise a supportive work environment for pregnant and lactating policewomen.
“All supervising officers shall ensure a supportive working environment to enable pregnant/lactating women police personnel to contribute effectively to the organisation during this biological phase,” the notification adds.
Specific uniform options for different ranks and seasons, including khaki or white terrycot kameez and salwar in summer and angola kameez and salwar in winter, it says.
“This is a significant step towards creating a more inclusive environment for women officers in the West Bengal Police. Wearing a belt on uniform was such a big problem for pregnant women officers. There is still a lot of scope for improvement,” a senior woman officer said.
The guidelines also state that these uniform relaxations are voluntary in nature as women officers will have the option to continue wearing their standard uniform.
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