Showcause notice to DSP, five SHOs in Tvm

Thiruvananthapuram: In a first-of-its-kind incident since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the state, the district police chief (rural) in the state capital has served notices to a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and more than five station house officers (SHO) on law and order duty for their alleged lapses in discharging duties related to Covid containment. Rural SP B Ashok has reportedly sought an explanation from the officers stating that their lapses have contributed to the surge in the spread of the disease in the district.
According to sources, the district police chief has stated in the showcause notice that there were serious lapses in tasks assigned, especially in tracing the primary and secondary contacts of Covid-positive persons, which had adversely affected the fight to contain the outbreak. The SP has also reportedly directed the officers to file explanations within three days.
However, when contacted, the rural SP denied any such action being taken. He said that he did forward an official communique to several officers in the district where high number of cases are being reported, urging them to intensify their vigil.
“It is a normal procedure that happens often,” Ashok said.
He said that regions under Neyyatinkara police sub-division are more at risk as it shares border with neighbouring state and there is frequent movement of people across the border. Hence there was a need to maintain high alert.
He also said that more cases are being reported in regions under rural district police limits because more tests are being done here compared to other parts of the state. Hence policing cannot solely be blamed for the surge in cases.
Meanwhile, the majority of lower rung officers in the department are displeased with the task of contact tracing. It was two weeks ago that the government entrusted the police with major Covid control duties, including contact tracing, which was carried out by health officials earlier.