Custodial deaths high in state: DGP

Maharashtra is among the states with the highest number of custodial deaths in the country.

Maharashtra is among the states with the highest number of custodial deaths in the country. Most of those who die in custody are from the lowest strata of the society, said Director-General of Police D Sivanandhan here on Saturday. He is due to retire on February 28 after a 35-year career. Efforts should be made towards improving supervision to avoid such cases,Sivanandhan said.

A parade was organised in his honour of Sivanandhan at the Pune police headquarters. Around 200 policemen from six platoons,including quick response team (QRT),traffic control branch and state reserve police force (SRPF) participated in the parade. Rajesh Bansode,deputy commissioner of police (HQ2) led the parade. As many as six cops of varying ranks shared their experiences about the time they worked under him.

Sivanandhan refused to comment on the status of the German Bakery Blast probe,saying the ATS chief should be approached for it. I don’t want to get involved in controversies towards the end of my service. Pune police commissioner Meeran Borwankar described Sivanandhan as a rare combination: an honest cop,a family man and a thinker.

Shivanandhan said,There are two posts that I wanted to work in but could not get the opportunity SRPF Commandant and Pune police commissioner. He concluded by saying,The journey of being a cop for 35 years was more important than the destination. I am retiring from government service and not from the service of people.

On the controversy following his remarks on the crackdown on oil mafia in the state,Sivanandhan said he was not correctly quoted. I myself have led the drive against the oil mafia and taken action against 323 persons. I have been quoted out of context. I never said it was a farce. You can can check the tapes of what I said in Aurangabad.

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