With a month to go for his retirement, Uttar Pradesh DGP Sulkhan Singh took to ‘political policing’ directing his colleagues to remove all police station in-charges posted during Samajwadi Party regime, who were continuing on their posts. The circular was issued on August 1 and now his office has sought details of the compliance last Tuesday.
Shunting out cops on totally “political” ground overlooking their credentials and merit is an unpredented thing in the UP Police. While the unwritten and undeclared code has been to remove officers posted during one regime and replace them by favourites of the successive reegime, none of the previous top cops openly made such move.
Some former top police officers maintained that the DGP’s direction could be to appease the powers-that-be, which could lead to his six-month extension on the top post.
Sources said the DGP issued a circular to all zonal the ADGs and the IGs asking them to remove all station house officers, station officers, senior sub-inspector (second officer) and also police outpost in-charges posted on March 20, 2017 — the day BJP came to power.