News Analysis India

Tag: IPS officer

  • Row erupts over IPS officer’s remark on RSS; SSP gets show-cause notice

    Express News Service

    PATNA:  The BJP on Thursday launched a broadside against senior IPS officer and Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manavjit Singh Dhillon for allegedly comparing the extremist Population Front of India (PFI) with the RSS, the ideological mentor of the party.

    At a presser called on the arrest of three suspects linked to terror outfits in Phulwarisharif in Patna, Dhillon on Thursday said, “Like the RSS shakhas where physical training is given, the terrorist organization was propagating its agenda among youths in the name of physical training.”

    The remark snowballed into a controversy as Bihar ADGP (Headquarters) Jitendra Singh Gangwar later came out with a clarification on behalf of the state police. He said the SSP’s statement was unwarranted and that the matter would be verified. The SSP should concentrate only on investigation, he added.

    A show-cause notice has also been issued to the SSP for his remark, asking him to reply within 48 hours.Bihar BJP spokesperson Arvind Singh said. “The SSP’s statement is highly condemnable. An officer with such a mindset should not continue as SSP of Patna,” said the spokesperson.

    “The RSS is a nationalist organisation. The government should take stern action against the SSP.” On the other hand, spokesman for the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), a BJP ally, Danish Rizwan defended the SSP statement, asserting that there was nothing wrong in it. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Patna, the police arrested Mohammad Jallauddin, a retired police officer of Jharkhand police, and Mohammad Athar Parvez, a former member of the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) from Phulwarisharif in the state capital on July 11.

    Later, one Mohammad Arman was arrested based on information given by Jallauddin and Parvez whose brother was earlier arrested for his alleged links with serial blasts at Gandhi Maidan in Patna during meeting of then BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi in October 2014. Unconfirmed reports said two more suspects have been picked for interrogation in connection with Patna terror module. The identity of the detainees has been kept secret.

    Preliminary investigation revealed that youths from different states, including Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh came to Phulwarisharif for training on the terror plot.“Evidence of fund transaction from Pakistan and Bangladesh has also been collected,” said ASP (Phulwari) Manish Kumar. During a raid, the police recovered many incriminating documents and 25 flags of the PFI from the rented accommodation of the three suspects.

    Meanwhile, Patna SSP Manavjit Singh Dhillon said that altogether 26 people have been named as accused in the FIR lodged with Phulwari police station. “Raids are being conducted to arrest others involved in anti-India activities,” he added. 

    PATNA:  The BJP on Thursday launched a broadside against senior IPS officer and Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manavjit Singh Dhillon for allegedly comparing the extremist Population Front of India (PFI) with the RSS, the ideological mentor of the party.

    At a presser called on the arrest of three suspects linked to terror outfits in Phulwarisharif in Patna, Dhillon on Thursday said, “Like the RSS shakhas where physical training is given, the terrorist organization was propagating its agenda among youths in the name of physical training.”

    The remark snowballed into a controversy as Bihar ADGP (Headquarters) Jitendra Singh Gangwar later came out with a clarification on behalf of the state police. He said the SSP’s statement was unwarranted and that the matter would be verified. The SSP should concentrate only on investigation, he added.

    A show-cause notice has also been issued to the SSP for his remark, asking him to reply within 48 hours.
    Bihar BJP spokesperson Arvind Singh said. “The SSP’s statement is highly condemnable. An officer with such a mindset should not continue as SSP of Patna,” said the spokesperson.

    “The RSS is a nationalist organisation. The government should take stern action against the SSP.” On the other hand, spokesman for the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), a BJP ally, Danish Rizwan defended the SSP statement, asserting that there was nothing wrong in it. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Patna, the police arrested Mohammad Jallauddin, a retired police officer of Jharkhand police, and Mohammad Athar Parvez, a former member of the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) from Phulwarisharif in the state capital on July 11.

    Later, one Mohammad Arman was arrested based on information given by Jallauddin and Parvez whose brother was earlier arrested for his alleged links with serial blasts at Gandhi Maidan in Patna during meeting of then BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi in October 2014. Unconfirmed reports said two more suspects have been picked for interrogation in connection with Patna terror module. The identity of the detainees has been kept secret.

    Preliminary investigation revealed that youths from different states, including Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh came to Phulwarisharif for training on the terror plot.“Evidence of fund transaction from Pakistan and Bangladesh has also been collected,” said ASP (Phulwari) Manish Kumar. During a raid, the police recovered many incriminating documents and 25 flags of the PFI from the rented accommodation of the three suspects.

    Meanwhile, Patna SSP Manavjit Singh Dhillon said that altogether 26 people have been named as accused in the FIR lodged with Phulwari police station. “Raids are being conducted to arrest others involved in anti-India activities,” he added.
     

  • Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan welcomes retired IPS officer RB Sreekumar’s arrest

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Expressing satisfaction over the arrest of former IPS officer RB Sreekumar by Gujarat Police on Saturday, former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan said that action had been taken against the retired police official for “fabricating stories and trying to sensationalise them” and “it is exactly what he did in my case also” over the 1994 ISRO espionage case.

    Former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar was arrested by Gujarat Police on Saturday, a day after Supreme Court ruling on June 24 which upheld the clean chit given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by a Gujarat court in the 2002 riots case.

    Speaking to ANI over the phone, Narayanan said that the former officer was “crossing all limits of decency” and “there is limit to everything”.

    “I came to know that he was arrested today for keeping on fabricating stories and trying to sensationalise them, there was a charge against him. It is exactly what he did in my case also. But our system is such that anybody can say any loose statement and get away with it. This is what some responsible people at bigger positions also keep on doing,” Narayanan said.

    “Now that it is shown by Supreme Court that you can’t do it anymore. So they must be behind the docks. That way, I am very happy to know that he is being arrested because there is a limit for everything. I think he is crossing all the limits in terms of decency, in terms of judicial prudence,” he added.

    Narayanan accused Sreekumar of making false statements about him. “I personally feel whatever he is charged with is applicable to my case also. One day he will say that I am corrupt. It has nothing to do with the case, it is closed. But again he will say, he will bring someone else to say this. This is what he has kept on doing. Now I hope that he will stop doing that. He should also be punished for that,” he alleged.

    Narayanan said no one should be allowed to take advantage of loopholes of law. “When he was arrested I was very happy because he will keep on doing this kind of mischief all the time, there must be an end to such a thing. That is why I said, I am very happy. Same thing applies to me in all respects,” he said.

    “He will keep on telling something. He will make use of the loopholes of the law and then try to play his cards in such a manner so that you get fed up and run away. So that whatever he is saying becomes true. This is what he has been doing with so many cases. I want to make it clear, this is not on,” he added.

    The CBI had moved Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court order of August 2021 granting anticipatory bail to four persons including Sreekumar in a case relating to the alleged framing of Nambi Narayanan in the 1994 ISRO espionage matter.

    The high court had granted anticipatory bail to Sreekumar and two former police officers of Kerala and a retired intelligence official in connection with the case.

    Nambi Narayanan and another former ISRO scientist had in August last year told CBI team probing the ISRO conspiracy case that they were subjected to “mental and physical torture” by former Kerala police and Intelligence Bureau officers. Sreekumar was then the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Bureau.

  • Arond 40 IPS officers transferred in Maharashtra, Nashik city gets new police chief

    By PTI

    MUMABI: In a major reshuffle, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday promoted or transferred around 40 senior police officers, including Nashik police commissioner Deepak Pandey, who has been replaced, days after he reportedly alleged that land mafias were hand in glove with a section of revenue department officials and faced flak for going public on the issue.

    Transfers and promotions were announced in multiple official orders. DIG (VIP security) Jayant Naiknavare will replace Pandey as the Nashik police commissioner. Pandey, who was criticised by Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat for making the allegation in the media, has been appointed special inspector general (prevention of atrocities on women department).

    In the backdrop of loudspeaker row, Pandey had issued directives a few days ago stating no one will be allowed to play bhajan or songs on loudspeakers within 15-minute period before and after the call of ‘azaan’ in the radius of 100 meters of any mosque in Nashik city.

    The directives were issued in the wake of MNS president Raj Thackeray’s demand that loudspeakers atop mosques be removed by May 3 or else Hanuman Chalisa will be played on loudspeakers in front of them. According to media reports, in March Pandey had written a letter to the DGP seeking transfer out of Nashik city.

    In a separate letter to the state police chief, the IPS officer had sought curtailment in powers of district revenue officers and also suggested certain administrative changes. The government has also transferred Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissioner Krishna Prakash, who will be the new Spl IG (VIP security), Maharashtra. Spl IG (Sudhar Seva) Ankush Shinde will replace Prakash as the Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissioner.

    In another development, Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch Milind Bharambe and Spl IG (Law & Order) Suhas Warke have been transferred to each other’s posts.  Joint Commissioner of Pune city Ravindra Shisve has been appointed IG (State human rights commission), while senior officer Sureshkumar Mekala has been named IG (State CID).

    DIG Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Lakhmi Gautam has been transferred as IG (establishment) in the Maharashtra police headquarters, while Additional Commissioner of Mumbai Police’s West Region Sandeep Karnik has been promoted and appointed in Shisve’s place.

    Another senior officer and Karnik’s batchmate Satyanarayan who serves in Mumbai Police’s Traffic department has been appointed IG (coastal security), his counterpart in Mumbai’s North region Praveenkumar Padwal, joint commissioner of police (EOW), while S Jaykumar has been promoted as IG (administration) in the state police headquarters.

    IPS officer Nishith Mishra has been posted as IG (Anti-Terrorism Squad), Sanjay Mohite promoted as IG (Konkan range), Dattatray Karale promoted as JCP Thane, Pravin Pawar promoted as Director, Maharashtra Intelligence Academy, and Balasaheb G Shekhar as IG (Nashik range).

    In all, the government has promoted 14 officials as special police inspector general and transferred many of them elsewhere. Eleven officials were promoted as deputy inspector general and transferred from their current place of posting.

  • Centre protecting IPS officer Rashmi Shukla in phone tapping case: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed the Centre is protecting IPS officer Rashmi Shukla who is being probed for alleged phone tapping of certain political leaders. Talking to reporters here, Raut said be it Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, himself or some other leaders, all were labelled “anti-social elements” and their phones were tapped.

    Some people were labelled as “drug peddlers and gangsters” and this happened when the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was being formed in November 2019, the Rajya Sabha MP claimed.

    “Someone was conducting surveillance on us and trying to find out about the formation of the new government. Our privacy was invaded… One police officer, who is expected to work impartially, was doing it to show her loyalty to one political party and a leader. Now the Centre is protecting her, like always. This is unfortunate,” Raut said without naming Shukla, a former head of the State Intelligence Department (SID).

    The senior IPS officer is facing an FIR in Mumbai and is being probed for allegedly putting the phone numbers of Raut and former BJP leader Eknath Khadse (who is now in the NCP) under surveillance when she headed the SID.

    The Pune police had also registered an FIR against Shukla in connection with alleged tapping of the phones of Patole. Shukla served as the Pune police commissioner between March 2016 and July 2018.

    She is currently posted with the Central Reserve Police Force. In a plea filed in the Bombay High Court in one of the alleged phone tapping cases, Shukla had claimed she was being “falsely implicated” and called herself a victim of “political vendetta”.

  • Uttar Pradesh polls: IPS officer-turned-politician Asim Arun seeks financial support

    By PTI

    NOIDA: “Is it possible to be in politics without leaving the path of honesty,” wonders IPS officer-turned-politician Asim Arun as he seeks financial support from people to fight the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

    The former Kanpur police commissioner had in January opted for voluntary retirement from the service and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has fielded him from the Kannauj (Sadar) seat for the polls.

    In his appeal on social media, 51-year-old Arun says he is now into “Lok Seva” (service of the people), which requires money for works to be done but he does “not want to compromise his basic principles”. He also suggests measures like maintaining less number of vehicles, having less staff and “transparency” in expenses for people in public service to keep the expenditure in check.

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    “My father late Shriram Arun is often cited as an example when it comes to honesty and I have always tried to follow his path. Now I am in ‘Lok Seva’ but on the condition that I will not compromise with my basic principles,” Arun said.

    “On the other hand, public service requires money for works to be completed. This is the reason why conscious people feel that they would have fixed certain problems if they were in a position of power but get discouraged thinking of the expenses required to fix the problem,” he added.

    “I consider my life to be an experiment in which I am now testing whether it is possible to engage in politics without leaving the path of honesty? I know several public representatives who have been successful at this and are inspiration to me,” Arun said in a statement.

    Appealing for crowd support, he said complete transparency would be maintained with the financial assistance which could be made through his website – “http://asimarun.in”.

    Kannauj (Sadar) falls in the Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh. The seat is reserved for SC candidates and is a so-called bastion of the Samajwadi Party. The assembly seat goes to the polls on February 20 during the third phase of the elections in the state.

  • Will hear acting Maharashtra DGP Sanjay Pandey over plea for permanent appointment: Bombay HC

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday said it will have to hear senior IPS officer and current acting Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra, Sanjay Pandey before passing an order on a petition seeking permanent appointment of an officer to the post.

    A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik said that while earlier this week it had closed the matter for judgment noting that there was no need to hear Pandey, it has later come to the court’s notice that there are some direct allegations against the IPS officer in the petition.

    “While dictating our judgment in the case, we came across a few paragraphs in the petition where there are certain direct allegations made against Sanjay Pandey. In view of this, we deem it appropriate and necessary to implead Sanjay Pandey as a party respondent in the petition. We will hear him first and then pass our judgment,” the court said.

    The court recalled its January 25 order reserving the matter for judgment. The bench on Friday directed Pandey to file his affidavit in response to the petition by February 4. The Maharashtra government and the UPSC shall also file affidavits if they wish to, the bench said, posting the matter for further hearing.

    The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by a city-based advocate Datta Mane seeking directions to the state government to make a permanent appointment to the post of the Director General of Police (DGP).

    Mane’s counsel Abhinav Chandrachud had argued that as per a judgment passed by the Supreme Court, the post of the state’s top police officer could not be an acting one and that an officer with the minimum tenure requirements as per the 2006 ruling must be appointed.

    The petition sought that the state government must appoint a DGP as per the recommendation made by the selection committee of the UPSC in November 2021.

    Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, appearing for the state government, had told the court that Pandey, currently the senior most IPS officer in the state, had been appointed as the acting DGP last year after the then DGP Subodh Jaiswal vacated the post midterm following his transfer to the CBI.

    In the November 1 meeting of the UPSC selection committee, of which the state’s then Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte was a party, the names of IPS officers Hemant Nagrale, Rajnish Seth and K Venkatesham were recommended for the post of Maharashtra DGP.

    Kunte signed off on the three names at the time, but on November 8, he wrote to the UPSC saying that it had erred in not recommending the current acting DGP Sanjay Pandey’s name and that it would reconsider the same.

    The court had earlier this week noted that Kunte’s conduct was not proper and not based on any legal principles. The bench had noted that it did not behove Kunte to have not raised a grievance or pointed out the error committed, if any, by the committee before signing off on the three names.

    Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Union government, had told the court that once the three names had been recommended, there was no question for the UPSC to reconsider the same.

  • Jurisdiction extension gives no extra power to agency: BSF ADG YB Khurania

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  Reacting to the objection raised by West Bengal government to extending the BSF’s jurisdiction from 15 to 50 km from the Bangladesh border, the ADG of the paramilitary force, YB Khurania, said the agency has limited powers and no authority to intervene in the state’s law and order affairs. He also said the allegation that BSF personnel harassed women in the name of searching was very unfortunate.

    “We don’t interfere in the state’s law and order affairs. We don’t have the power to file FIRs. We focus on smuggling and infiltration. We maintain a good relation with the state police and exchange information with them. The notification (increasing jurisdiction) doesn’t give additional power to the BSF,” he said.

    Khurania said that the BSF would continue to function in the 50 km jurisdiction in the same way as it had functioned in the earlier jurisdiction.

    Refuting the TMC government’s allegation of women being harassed by the BSF personnel, Khurania said, “This (claim) is unfortunate and baseless. We have more than 4,000 women staff and soldiers. CCTVs are installed at all entry points of the border area.”

  • Eighteen IAS officers, 39 IPS officers transferred in Rajasthan

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has transferred 39 IPS officers, including two ADGs, and 18 IAS officers. The transfer lists was issued by the state department of personnel late on Wednesday night.

    Secretary, Labour, Employment, Skill and Entrepreneurship, Niraj K Pawan and MD of Rajasthan Skill and Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC) Pradeep Gawande, who was mired in controversy after the anti-corruption bureau arrested two RSLDC employees for allegedly taking bribe, are among the 18 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers transferred.

    Pawan has been made Secretary, colonisation department, in Bikaner, while Gawande has been made Director of Department of Archaeology and Museums in Jaipur. Two Additional Director Generals (Addl DGP) are among the 39 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers who have been transferred.

    Addl DGP (Law and Order) Saurabh Srivastava has been made Addl DGP (PHQ) while Addl DGP (Traffic) Smita Srivastava, was shifted as Addl DGP (Civil Rights). IG (Jaipur range) Hawa Singh Ghumariya, will be the IG (Law and Order) while IG (CM Security) Sanjay Shotriya will be the new IG (Jaipur range).

    SPs of Bikaner, Baran, Jhunjhunu, Barmer, Ajmer, Sriganganagar, Pali, Bundi, Jhalawar, Jalore, Banswara, Kota rural districts and DCPs of Jaipur West and Jodhpur West have also been transferred.

  • Chhattisgarh: 20 IAS, 2 IPS and several state administrative service officers transferred

    By PTI

    RAIPUR:  In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Chhattisgarh government has assigned fresh postings to 20 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and two Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the state, officials said on Monday.

    Besides, 96 State Administrative Service (SAS) officers and six state police service officers have also been transferred, as per the Chhattisgarh government’s orders issued on Sunday evening.

    According to the order, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Subrat Kumar Sahoo, the 1992-batch IAS officer, has been relieved from the additional charge of ACS, water resources department and given new responsibility of ACS, public health engineering department.

    State Principal secretary of commerce and industries Manoj Kumar Pingua, who had the additional charge as resident commissioner of Chhattisgarh Bhawan in New Delhi, has been given the charge of principal resident commissioner, Chhattisgarh Bhawan, New Delhi.

    Likewise, state Agriculture, Farmer Welfare and Biotechnology Department secretary Dr M Geetha has been given the additional charge of resident commissioner, Chhattisgarh Bhawan, New Delhi.

    In another order, the state government has shifted Deputy Inspector General of Police (Police Headquarters in Raipur) Ajay Yadav as in-charge Inspector General of Surguja range, while the Chhattisgarh Armed Force’s Commandant of 11th battalion (Janjgir Champa) Vivek Shukla has been transferred as Assistant Inspector General (law and order), police headquarters, Raipur.

    The state government has also issued fresh postings to 96 SAS and six state police service officers, as per the orders.

  • Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij objects to appointment of IPS officer to IAS cadre post

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has opposed the move approved by the CM’s office to appoint an IPS officer to a post meant for the IAS cadre, stressing the need for a nod from the Centre.

    In the past too, Vij had expressed his unhappiness over IPS officers being posted on non-policing jobs, citing shortage of police officers.

    The minister is of the firm opinion that the Police Department cannot relieve IPS officers for their posting to a cadre post of IAS officers till the Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) grants approval for it, sources said.

    Recently, senior IPS officer Shatrujeet Kapoor, who also holding the post of the transport principal secretary was relieved of the charge after his appointment as the Director General of the State Vigilance Bureau.

    The post of transport principal secretary has fallen vacant.

    The state government proposed the name of another senior IPS officer and the CM’s office okayed it but Vij, in an official communication, insisted that the government has to seek prior approval of the DoPT before appointing an IPS officer to an IAS cadre post, the sources said.

    Kapoor was earlier also posted as the chairman-cum-managing director of the power discoms while ADGP O P Singh posted as the special officer (community policing and outreach) in the Chief Minister’s Office.

    As per provisions of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules on temporary appointment, a cadre post in a state shall not be filled by a person who is not a cadre officer, except if there is no suitable officer available for filling the vacancy.

    The rules also say that cadre post shall be filled only in accordance with principles, which include that if there is a Select List in force, the appointment will be made in the order of the names of the officers in the list.

    If it is proposed to depart from the order of names appearing in the Select List, the state government will make a proposal to Centre along with reasons and the appointment will be made only with the approval of the Union government, as per the rules.