Chandigarh, September 11: Within 24 hours of the new UT Senior Superintendent of Police SS Srivastava’s taking charge, the Police Establishment Board, comprising Inspector General, the Deputy Inspector General and three Senior Superintendents of Police constituted for dealing with postings/ transfers, ordered the transfers of nine police officers including three Deputy SPs and six inspectors.

Ironically, the Board failed to realise that out of the transferred officers, one has faced several inquiries for discrepancies in official duty and another one, against whom a case was registered on various criminal charges, has been posted in the same police station (as SHO) where the complaints were filed against him.

While Inspector Rajesh Kumar Shukla remained in news a few years ago for losing the case files from his custody, for which he was not only suspended from service but also had to face regular departmental inquiries; another, Inspector Devinder Sharma was booked on charges of wrongful confinement, assault, kidnapping and abduction of a complainant in Sector 36 police station in the year 1998. A case was registered vide FIR No 109 on the complaint of a Sector 38 resident. Sharma was suspended from service. He finally got acquitted from court on September 12, 2005.

Besides the case, there were several other instances when he remained in news. He was once caught with a Nepalese woman, allegedly in a compromising position, for which he was thrashed by the local villagers. In an attempt to escape public-beating, he even fired gunshots in the air. In another case, Sharma lost his wireless set, for which too, he faced departmental inquiry.

Those transferred include DSP DS Thakur (from Sub Divisional Police Officer - East to Police Lines); PK Dhawan (from Woman and Child Support Unit to SDPO-East) and Baljit Chadha (from Police Lines to WCSU).

The six Inspectors, who were transferred, include Rajesh Kumar Shukla (Additional Station House Officer - police station 34 to Station House Officer - police station 39); Devinder Sharma (Traffic wing to SHO 36); Kehar Singh (from ASHO-17 to ASHO 34); Bakshish Singh (from Economic Offences Wing to VIP Security); Prem Chand (to EOW) and Ramesh Chand was posted as Chief Drill Inspector, Police Lines.

In the absence of DSP SS Randhawa, ASP Madhur Verma, a IPS officer, shall be looking after the central sub-division of the city police.

Inspector General of Police SK Jain said, “The entire list was scanned and after seeing that there was no inquiry pending against the officers were they given new postings. We have also probed their present conduct, on the basis of which they were considered eligible.”

UT SSP SS Srivastava said, “I am not aware of the officers’ past record. Moreover, it was the board’s decision and I am just one of the members.”