Assam cops party on cruise, CM Sarbananda Sonowal orders disciplinary action

By: Rokibuz Zaman
GUWAHATI: Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday instructed the home department to initiate disciplinary action and transfer 10 police personnel, including including a deputy commissioner of police, for taking part in a cruise party on the Brahmaputra in the city on Monday night in violation of lockdown norms.
All the personnel belong to the Guwahati Police Commissionerate.
“As per the direction of CM Sarbananda Sonowal, the home department of the state government has imitated disciplinary action for transfer of several police officers who took part in a night party on a cruise over the Brahmaputra in the city,” an official statement of the state government said.
It added, “The department has initiated steps for transfer of one DCP, four ACPs, two OCs, two SIs and one ASI of the city police who took part in the party.”
Earlier in the day, chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna ordered city police commissioner Munna Prasad Gupta to initiate an inquiry regarding the party on July 6. Krishna, while seeking a report and disciplinary proceedings against the personnel involved, said, “This reflects very poorly on the policemen and displays total disregard to orders under the Disaster Act.”
‘Joint commissioner will conduct inquiry’
The chief secretary’s order to Gupta further says, “It is also directed that policemen under your command may be directed to scrupulously follow orders issued by the government and not display actions which are detrimental to the rule of law.”
Gupta said joint commissioner of police Debaraj Upadhaya has been told to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.
The development comes at a time when many police personnel have tested positive for Covid-19 and more than 900 are in quarantine. Assam additional DGP (law and order) GP Singh on Wednesday evening said, “Till now, 362 police personnel have tested positive for Covid-19 out of whom 109 have recovered. There are 253 active cases. All of them are stable.”