Home secy to probe CAG findings on police

Thiruvananthapuram: With the recent CAG report making scathing remarks against the police, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan sought a detailed report from additional chief secretary (home and vigilance) Vishwas Mehta regarding the comments and findings of the report.
It is reliably learnt that Vijayan has asked Mehta to conduct an inquiry into all matters cited in CAG report and furnish a new report. Sources said state police chief Loknath Behera has sent an explanation to the home secretary, based on which Mehta will prepare his report.
However, a clause-by-clause explanation of the findings of CAG’s report will be given only before the public accounts committee of the assembly that will consider the report in detail as part of the legislative procedure.
CAG report had criticized the police on several matters. They are unauthorized purchase of bulletproof vehicles for VVIP security, shortage of weapons and live cartridges at state armed police battalion in the capital, procedural lapses in the procurement of vehicle-mounted GPS-based communication system, lapses in the procurement of voice-logger system, procedural lapses in the procurement of security equipment for Sabarimala and irregularity in the construction of villas for DGP and ADGPs using the funds for quarters for subordinate officers.
Though the police had offered its justification for the findings of the audit team, the latter hadn’t agreed with the arguments of the police; resulting in the final report carrying highly critical remarks in these matters.
The police top brass is of the view that though the performance audit had incisively pointed out some of the procedural errors on the part of the department and suggested adopting the best possible actions in the matters of financial dealings, it was critical of the police wherever a minor lacuna was revealed. The general sentiments within the force is that the audit had omitted some crucial aspects of police performance such as modernization and law and order while conducting the actual evaluation of the performance of the police department.
The police leadership is learnt to have explained to the government that deviations from the modernization of police force scheme guidelines, if any, was based on the contingencies and realistic evaluation of department requirements. The scheme guidelines are always taken as the prime reference, though at times absolute adherence to the same may not have occurred, the police explained to the government.