‘Confining’ policemen: ADGP goes on leave, hits back at 13 cops

Sources said Vijoy was “asked to proceed on leave”, even as the 1983-batch IPS officer told The Indian Express that he decided to go on leave.

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Before he handed over the charge, Vijoy issued suspension orders to sub-inspector Pankaj Sachde for “dereliction of duty” and clerk Manoj Patel for “misbehaviour”.

On Wednesday, 13 policemen, including Sachde and assistant sub-inspectors, wireless technicians and police drivers had lodged a complaint at the police control room alleging that Vijoy had kept them confined to his bungalow at the Gujarat Police Academy in Karai, Gandhinagar.

Inspector General of Police (Gandhinagar) Hasmukh Patel, along with other police officers, has started preliminary investigations into the allegation on directions from DGP P C Thakur and recorded statements of the complainant policemen. So far, no formal complaint has been filed.

Vijoy, while talking to The Indian Express, said he had called the policemen to his “camp office”, set up in the garage of the bungalow, “because they were not doing their jobs properly at the office”. He also confirmed having suspended Sachde and Patel.

The division that Vijoy used to head also has a section called “net connectivity”, which records developments in crime cases online through the Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN), under a programme called e-gujcop. It also records FIRs. The Surat module, however, had been out of connectivity from e-gujcop for the past six months.

“Rakesh Asthaana (Surat police commissioner) used to remind me to fix the problem, and Sachde was co-ordinating the repair work. However, those responsible to fix it seemed distracted and took long to resolve it. They used to leave office by 6.10 pm and did not come for work before 10 am. So, I called them to my bungalow and set up an office in the garage which is open.There is no question of I ‘confining’ them, as they allege,” Vijoy said.

Countering allegations of the police staff that they were denied basic facilities, the IPS officer claimed he had installed fans, provided them water and tea, and even installed a television set.