DGP vs DGPs: Finally, CM decides to check the bad blood spilling over
Tuesday, 10/04/2018
https://dailypost.in/news/punjab/majha/dgp-dgps-cm-bad-blood-spilling-over/
Chandigarh – Finally, the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has decided to intervene in the much disturbing civil war’ going on among top cops of the state. All DGP and ADGP rank officers have been called by the CM on Wednesday at the Committee Room on the second floor of the Civil Secretariat for meeting. Notably, Daily Post published an article on Monday DGP vs DGPs: Dear CM where is your signature roar?’ questioning Singh about his lackadaisical’ approach to resolve the matter, which was denting not only the image of his government but of the entire state.
The article was all aimed at cautioning the CM about the state’s infamy with a mention that at a time when the senior cops were running after each other’s blood, it was incorrect for him to simply sit back and wait for his staff to suggest the action as it was mentioned in a press note issued by his office in this regard. It was a major shocker for all, especially the Chief Minister Office (CMO), when 1986-batch IPS officer Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, posted as DGP (HRD), on Friday accused the state DGP Suresh Arora and DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta of trying to falsely implicate him in a suicide case so as to find an escape route from the investigation related to a high profile drug racket case in which the former was suspecting the role of two seniors.
Interestingly, the accusation, which put a major dent on the reputation of the state police, was levelled through a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Taking notice of the same, the High Court not only stayed the investigation against Chat topadhyaya but also directed the state to file reply before April 23. Having access to the legal document, media took no time in exposing the bad blood spilling all over and soon it was largely accepted as a clear case of civil war’ in the Punjab Police with DGPs running after blood of each other. However, it took one full day for the state’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, popularly known as Maharaja Sahib,’ to come up with his reaction and that too lacking his signature roar.
The CM, issuing a press note on Saturday, simply stated that ‘taking serious note of media reports suggesting dissension among the top brass of the Punjab Police he warned that he would not tolerate any indiscipline in the force.’ Rather than taking the matter in his hands and lending ear to both the parties so as to offer them opportunity to vent their ire against each other in a closed room meeting, which was otherwise pretty expected, Amarinder Singh said that he discussed the issue with Home Secretary N S Kalsi, DGP Suresh Arora and CPS to CM Suresh Kumar, and directed them to examine the matter and suggest suitable action, as necessary to resolve the same.
The CM’s so-called mild response to the crisis was followed by different reactions, largely pointing out towards his less serious approach to handle the state’s critical matters during this ongoing second term. Now it is expected that during Wednesday’s meeting, the CM will not only lend his ear to all officers but also tighten the noose around each of them as he has realised that not only the party cadre but general public have also started feeling as if the bureaucracy were enjoying ‘free-for-all’ type of freedom during Amarinder’s second stint. The war among the top cops, which is said to be for the successorship, has brought enough bad names to the state, the CM seems to have realised this. A senior police officer informed that the CM wanted to have the meeting on Tuesday but the Home Department apprised him of the bandh call given for the day by some organisations, following which it was postponed for Wednesday.
