If sources are to be believed, the State police chief is disappointed over appointment of district police chiefs without his consent. Though the director general of police in general has a say in the appointment of district police chiefs, in Uttarakhand, the DGP apparently has no say in the appointment of district police chiefs with political executives — Cabinet Ministers purportedly appointing district police chiefs as per their choice.
Sources said that the State police chief is learnt to have been disappointed over the series of appointments of the district police chiefs made at the behest of the State administration without taking him into confidence. He is learnt to have shared his opinion with his close aides, saying that such arbitrary appointments stand contrary to the long-continuing convention of taking the State DGP into confidence. Such actions adversely impact the professional functioning of the law — enforcing forces. Pauri senior superintendent of police, Nivedita Kukreti was recently transferred from Pauri to police headquarters in Dehradun. Though she had not made any error on her part in the discharging of her responsibility of putting check on crimes, maintaining law and order and capable of conducting fair Vidhan Sabha election.
Before Sadanand Date was transferred from the post of Dehradun SSP, the DGP MA Ganapathy earlier had said on many occasions that Dehradun SSP Date would not be transferred as he was working efficiently. In a move that surprised many, Date who had been handling the post of Dehradun SSP for about 15 months has been shifted to police headquarters with Sweety Aggarwal being transferred from the post of Nainital SSP to replace Date.
Observers say that it was an ill-timed move, given the fact that Date had worked to tackle crimes in the district. Besides, the election being round the corner, the move appears doubly surprising, they say. However, it was learnt that Date was purportedly transferred from the Dehradun SSP’s post on the direction of a state cabinet minister.
Moreover, Anant Shankar Takwale was replaced with Senthil Akdai Krishna Raj S from the post of SSP Udham Singh Nagar in October. But, before this posting, in a quick succession, Takwale was made SSP of Udham Singh Nagar thrice without consent of DGP purportedly by political executives including state minister.
It is learnt that Rajeev Swaroop was made SSP of Haridwar without consent of state police chief. He was made SSP of Haridwar twice. In his first tenure as SSP, he was removed from the post for apparently failing to put a check on crimes and maintain law and order in the district.
While talking to The Pioneer state DGP MA Ganapathy said that police officers should work effectively on their assignment and not bother about where they are posted.
Critics opined that it has been seen that some of the SSP rank officers in Uttarakhand appear to seek the ‘benevolence’ of political executives for their transfer unless they are posted in four districts — Haridwar, Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital. Few of them appear to be enthusiastic about posting in mountainous districts of a state which was formed for the welfare of the people living in mountainous region.