Police in Punjab have been told to lose weight after a judge found that raids on drug gangs and bootleggers were failing to result in arrests because suspects ran away too quickly for obese officers to catch them.
The judge said that even elderly suspects were able to scale walls or jump off balconies and outrun the authorities.
Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan ordered a fitness test for all officers whose duties are physical. Those found to be overweight will be sent on a three-month fitness course.
Obesity is a widespread problem in Indian police forces. Rajesh Kumar, an assistant sub-inspector in Haryana state, said: “Men on the beat have no routine or fixed hours at work. They work a 14-16-hour day with no fixed time
