District magistrate buries hatchet with top cop, approves transfer of 10 inspectors

NOIDA: Putting an end to the IAS-IPS turf war, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh approved the transfer order of 10 police inspectors on Saturday morning. This was only after SSP Ajay Pal Sharma shot a letter to the DM around midnight on Friday, requesting him to reconsider his decision.
The DM had on Friday evening, citing violation of a recent government order, returned the transfer order sent to him by the SSP for approval as the transferred officers took up their new postings even before the top cop’s letter reached his office for a nod.

In his letter to Singh, the police chief said he had no intention to undermine the position of the DM and that was the reason why he had sent the transfer order to the latter’s office for an approval as per the UP Police Regulation’s sections 6 and 524. “The transfers were made on the same day and I had no intention to go against the government order or undermine your position,” the SSP wrote. He also requested the DM to reconsider his decision “for the welfare of people and to strengthen the policing system and to check crimes”.

When contacted, the DM told TOI that he had received the police chief’s letter around midnight on Friday. “I have given my nod to the transfers,” he added.

The bone of contention between the DM and the SSP was a May 9 circular issued by the state home department, stating that transfer or posting of any police station in-charge by the district police chief must be done after a written approval of the district magistrate as per the provisions of the UP Police Regulation.

The central IPS Association has already tweeted an appeal to chief minister Yogi Adityanath, urging him to withdraw the recent directives from the home department, stating the same only shows disregard towards the post of SSP/SP (district police chiefs) and will demoralise the police force.

The Noida SSP had Friday transferred seven inspectors as police station in-charges, two in crime branch and one as head of Operation Pink.

The inspectors include Anil Kumar Shahi, Noida SSP’s public relations officer, who has been transferred to Sector 39 police station as its in-charge. Inpector KK Rana, earlier with the crime branch, was quick to post in a WhatsApp group that he had joined his duty as SHO Jarcha.