The Subcontinental Menu

Why a police constable was awarded an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Kerala to a forest department’s decision to christen their totemic elephant with a Sanskritised name. Read all this and much more here.

Illustration by Sajith Kumar

No More Gutsy Cops

The day will soon come when the police paunch no longer precedes the policeman into the room. The Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) face an ultimatum: lose weight or lose your jobs. A circular issued by Bhaskar Rao, additional director-general of police, KSRP, proclaims that all 12 platoon commanders have received instructions to pick out pot-bellied subordinates and subject them to a strict regime of diet and exercise until they attain the svelte ideal. The victims are to start playing sports of their choice and also participate in jogging and swimming. The ADGP was reported as saying that this would improve the policemen’s quality of life, as many struggle with health issues and “about 150 policemen aged between 40 and 50 years die every year from lifestyle-related ailments.”