Smarting under pressure with the people and the Opposition leaders raising harangues over the spurt in crimes, especially in the plains of the State, the Uttarakhand Chief Minster Harish Rawat seems to have taken it upon himself the task of seeing that things improve on the ground.
He met Haridwar police officers at 12 am on Sunday to take stock of crimes. later, the CM visited several important places in Dehradun to see for himself whether police patrolling during nights in the state capital is in the right shape or not.
CM Rawat reached Dehradun around 1.30 am. He sounded disappointed over police deployment on the streets being not adequate to stave off any nocturnal crime. Things were the same in the outskirts, he said.
His motorcade moved around several places- EC Road, several localities in Dalanwala, MDDA Dalanwala, Bhagat Singh Colony, Raipur Police Station, Sahastradhara crossing, Sahastradhara Road and Rajpur, Dilaram Chowk.
CM Rawat asked some policemen about the law and order situation at their assigned areas. He looked annoyed finding no worthwhile police deployment at many places. A visibly distraught CM called up the SSP and directed him to depute policemen at all the crossings, apart from ensuring that night police patrolling intensifies across the city.
CM Rawat also directed the police officers to shift those sleeping in the open in the biting cold to the local Raen Baseras.
The CM's motorcade reached Dilaram Chowk around 2.20 am. The CM was found asking the policemen whether they conduct vehicle checking drives at their assigned posts during the night. "What actions do you take in cases of drunk and rash drivingIJ Do you impose challans on the traffic violators," he asked the nonplussed policemen on duty.
It was the turn for the CM to get nonplussed when the on-duty cops said they have not been equipped with alcometre by the department. The CM asked the senior police officials to set things right immediately.
PAC for night patrolling
Dehradun: Taking note of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat's direction to intensify police patrolling in the outskirts of Dehradun and in the State as well, the police have decided to depute Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) jawans for night patrolling. To overview the state of security, the Chief Minister inspected various localities in the State Capital on Sunday night. He vented disappointment with lack of police patrolling and police vigilance at many places. Policemen should be deputed at each important crossing across the State, the vexed CM averred.
State additional director general of police (law and order) Ram Singh Meena said that the district police heads have been directed to deploy adequate police forces at important places and the outskirts, during the nights to check crimes in their jurisdictional areas. Policemen should be equipped with alcometre and beacon at important places with fog setting in to reduce visibility.
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pushpak Jyoti convened a meeting with the police station inspectors and sub-inspectors and gave them necessary instructions to check crimes in the district. The police station officers were directed to intensify patrolling in their jurisdictions and police visibility should be increased in the streets and the outskirts. The policemen found negligent while on duty at assigned posts will be dealt with sternly, he warned.
SSP Jyoti further said that following the direction of senior police officers, PAC jawans will be deployed for night patrolling at important places in the State capital.The police station officers were directed to take measures for putting check on crimes. The police officers were also instructed to conduct drives to arrest wanted persons in areas under their jurisdiction, he added.
Intel on Bhura plan to cross over to Nepal: ITBP alerted
DEHRADUN: With the possibility of the fugitive gangster Amit Malik ‘Bhura’ attempting to cross over to Nepal, using the open Indo-Nepal border, the State police have put ITBP and SSB police personnel on tghe high alert. Uttarakhand police are still clueless about Bhura’s whereabouts with 21 days having passed since the sharp shooter gave the escorting cops a slip.
State additional director general of police (law and order) Ram Singh Meena said that several teams of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi are working on information received from various sources. Some suspects are being questioned.
Teams raided the houses of Bhura’s relatives and would do the same in the coming days. The sketches and photos of Bhura along with the mention of Rs10 lakh as announced by the Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh governments for information leading to the gangster’s arrest have been pasted too at various places across the country. Joint teams of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi are working on the leads that the investigations are throwing up. Senior police officers are in touch with their counterparts in Nepal. Uttarakhand police in conjunction with joint teams from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have arrested so far five criminals who had allegedly facilitated Bhura to escape.
Govt passing the buck on Bhura escape: Cong
Dehradun: Reacting to the State Home Minister Pritam Singh having squarely blamed the ‘laggard’ police for the escape of notorious gangster Amit Malik alias ‘Bhura’ from custody, the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Ajay Bhatt said the State Government cannot pass the buck this casual way. “The State Government’s indifference is no less responsible for the infamous incident,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the Chief Minister, Bhatt said the Home Ministry has been robbed of its teeth with the department being bifurcated into two. “The Chief Minister holds the administrative power for appointment and transfer of police officers and policemen while what is left out the Home Minister Pritam Singh enjoys. The Home Minister has no teeth left to bite. He can merely hiss,” he said.
Bhatt said that the Uttarakhand State Police are still groping in the dark to have things fixed despite a month having passed since the blast occurred in Roorkee on December 6. A 12 –year- old boy Tushar Dhiman died in the blast.
The Bhura incident has exposed in full the chinks in the police armoury. “The State Government can hardly shirk responsibility by indulging in the pass- the buck-game. It would make things worse,” Bhatt warned.
“Uttarakhand was cited as an oasis of peace. Now it is being equated with the states where crime occurs regularly. The Government is responsible for this sorry state of things,” he said.