SRINAGAR: In an intriguing development, a senior IAS officer was subject to threats after he broached the idea of making police accountable to civilian authorities.
The officer, in a letter to the General Administration Department (GAD) had made this suggestion to help the police. But the police retorted and dismissed the officers suggestion by alluding to militancy in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This, however, was not the end of the matter: the officer in contention was threatened with transfer to an obscure location, The Hindu reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, the letter, written earlier this year, had ruffled many feathers in the States power corridors, eliciting sharp reactions from senior officers in the police department.
The IAS officer had asked the GAD to grant deputy commissioners, who also play the role of a magistrate in law and order matters in the districts, powers to annually appraise police officers conduct and transfer Station House Officers (SHOs) and Sub Division Police Officer (SDPO) level officers.
He also asked the administration to keep the deputy commissioners in the loop when transferring police officers and urged the authorities to grant effective magisterial powers to the deputy commissioners, who are constantly apprising the Ministers and the ruling political class.
The letter points out that the move will help to make the police, who come under fire for alleged excesses while dealing with law and order issues , more accountable to civilian authorities.
In reply, the police brass warned against curtailing impunity to the police, saying militancy was an unnatural challenge before the forces in the State.
The IAS officer was threatened with the prospect of being transferred to an insignificant post for crossing the red line, issued a show-cause notice by the GAD and told to desist from touching upon such issues in future.
The backlash prompted Governor N.N. Vohra, to intervene. His meeting with the IAS officer helped douse the matter.
The letter comes in the backdrop of the J-K Police Act 2013, which sought that all magisterial powers be vested with the police. The Act sparked a major controversy and opposition from the civil society groups and was put in abeyance the then government.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |