Ex-top cop seeks PC’s intervention for regular DGP

Sreekumar said in his letter that a cadre post cannot be kept vacant for more than six months,but the post has been lying vacant in the state since September 2010. After the retirement of S S Khandwawala,the government appointed ADGP rank officer Chitranjan Singh as in-charge DGP.

He further says the in-charge DGP is holding the position without any assurance of tenure security and adequate trust bestowed on him by the government. Hence,such a post will not be in a position to participate effectively and emphasis on the imperatives of internal security of the state.

“An enfeeble leader,not empowered with the rank and position intrinsic to the post of DGP,will never inspire confidence in the rank,” he writes.

According to Sreekumar,the impact of keeping the posts of DGP vacant — Gujarat has two cadre and two non-cadre DGP posts — is felt on the lower rank officers. “The confidence,morale and image of the Gujarat Police have been declining since 2002. Numerous severe strictures of the state administration and police by the High Court and apex court have further impaired the police department and confidence of officers.”

The letter stated that due to the arbitrary withholding of promotion to deserving ADGPs to the grade of DGP,two highly decorated ADGP rank officers (of the 1977 and 78 batches,now retired) have suffered as they are getting pensioner benefits of ADGP ranks.

When contacted,A K Bhargava,who had held the position of in-charge DGP for 13 months,said,“As DGP and IGP,one enjoys all the powers. Even after retirement,there is not much loss in pension… However,those who retired recently without getting their promotions may feel the pinch,but not much.”