Even after Home Minister V S Acharya had recently explained the formation of the Police Establishment Board (PEB) to ensure that transfers are done without “external’’ pressure’’, there seems to be no end to political interference.
Some men in khaki are trying to keep their “plum’’ posts by either refusing to join the new post or by not allowing others to take theirs. In one case, Bangalore Rural DySP Shankarappa ordered closure of his office to avoid another officer taking charge.
IGP Kamal Panth agreed that PEB orders cannot be ignored since it has been set up on Supreme Court’s orders.
For the full text in the New Indian Express, click here
Old habits die hard. But, with the Supreme Court monitoring the matter closely, perhaps we can hope for better days soon, one would like to believe.
Muralidhar Rao
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Didn't realize that a PEB had been set up - great news and a pioneering step by Karnataka. *Proud*. If somebody has better eyes than mine, maybe they can decipher the information here. The reduction of corruption and red-tapism will take time (just like exploitation of RTI is taking time) but is a very good step toward long-needed reforms.
can't be without ulterior motives
Discontent seem to be brewing in the top echelons of the state police department over the issue of transfers made by the government ignoring the Police Establishment Board (PEB). - - - Two Director General of Police (DGP) rank officers, who are also members of the PEB have taken up the issue with the government. In a strongly worded letter addressed to the chief secretary and the home minister, the DGPs have sought for transfer of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP, Administration) for bypassing the PEB and transferring officials. - - - Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R Ashok, however, does not consider it has a serious issue.
For the full report in the New Indian Express, click here.
By-passing of the PEB obviously has some ulterior motive behind it, and for all you know it is the doing of the Dy CM himself, who appears to be more and more in the news for all the wrong reasons (check this).
As such, perhaps the action of the two DGP's could do with the backing of the Civil Society. I am shooting off a letter to the CM, CS and ACS accordingly.
letter mailed to CM, CS
Have mailed off a letter worded as below to the CM and CS as of now; will be posting the hard copy tomorrow too.
Sri Jagadish Shettar
Honourable Chief Minister, Govt of Karnataka,
Bangalore
Dear Sir
sub: by-passing of Police Establishment Board
We refer to the report in the press (here) that transfers continue to be made ignoring the Police Establishment Board (PEB), and that in fact two Director General of Police rank officers, who are also members of the PEB, have taken up the issue with the government.
Sir, we from the city Civil Society too wish to join issues with the government, alongside the two DGP's, since the matter has serious implications, apart from its being a total travesty of the Supreme Court ruling on the subject. We once again request that all future postings, transfers, etc at senior levels be done strictly in compliance with the PEB deliberations.
We look forward to your affirmative action in that direction.
Thanking you,
Yours truly,
for RAAG (Research, Analysis, Advocacy Group - furthering on the discussions at ‘praja.in’)
sd/-
Muralidhar Rao
(President)
Perhaps the other Civil Society groups would like to follow suit too. I strongly believe in voicing an opinion in such matters for whatever it is worth.
DGP removed from PEB
Grave injustice is being done to a Karnataka DGP for fighting for police reforms by removing him from the post. He had recently highlighted irregularities in the Police Establishment Board. He had also asked for the investigation of a murdered RTI activist and several other issues. Such officers need our support.
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/1/20130208201302080723466101429eadc/Subordinate-directs-state%E2%80%99s-top-cop-to-act-on-his-demands-.html
http://www.thehindu.com/t...
This government too no different
Hours after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s statement that there is no political interference in police transfers, the Police Establishment Board (PEB) had to meet again on Saturday evening and modified its earlier order. The board had earlier issued orders transferring over 600 police officers.
Sources said the modification was done with respect to 45-50 officers — inspectors and deputy superintendents of police. The state government released the modified list of transferred police officers on Saturday after the PEB meeting.
The changes, sources said, were made after some ministers and MLAs were not happy with the transfers of certain officers.
- - - Siddaramaiah had on Saturday morning stated that the government was not interfering in the transfer of police officers, done by the PEB. However, even before the officers could take charge in their new postings, the order was withheld.
Siddaramaiah had reportedly held an emergency meeting with Home Minister K J George and senior officials of the department here on Friday and had reportedly instructed them orally to put the transfers on hold.
PEB members refused to comment. “I do not want to comment,” was all that DG&IGP Lalrokhuma Pachau, who is also the head of the PEB, said.
- - - George, however, said that modification is a ‘common’ phenomenon when such large-scale transfers take place. “I am not the person to comment on the transfers since PEB is taking care of it. If there have been modifications, PEB should answer why there was a second list. Besides, modification is not a new thing when more than 500 officers’ transfers are taking place,” he told Express.
A police inspector said that the transfers shouldn’t have been delayed so long. Now, the list has to be re-worked by the PEB. “Large-scale transfers in the last week of September itself is a bad practice since it is an odd time. When PEB is in charge of transfers then, where is the question of modification?” he said.
The state government will have to answer many questions over the transfers, though officially it is the responsibility of the PEB to finalise the list.
For the full report in the New Indian Express, click here.
A very unsettling report indeed. Pitiable to see the hide and seek game being pklayed by the ministers. The credibility of the government is quite at stake.
In this context, I recall the quote by Sri S A Aiyer (full text of his column in the STOI may be accessed here) - "Last year, a group of foreign investors asked me, “If you had to reform just one thing in India, what would that be?” I replied without hesitation, “the police-judicial system.” This surprised the foreign investors, who expected me to flag some economic or political issue. No, I said, many of the worst flaws in politics and business flow from the flaws in the policejudicial system".
The scant regard given to good policing is indeed appaling.
adding insult to injury