Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 7: Adhocism in the Police Departments is at its peak. Nearly 150 officers of the Department from the rank of DIGs of Police to Senior Prosecuting Officers (SPOs) have been working on their subordinate posts for past two to three months even after the Government had approved their promotion to higher rank after clearance from Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs).
Even though the promoted police officers were working on junior posts, a number of posts at various levels were lying vacant for the past quite sometime, official sources told the Excelsior.
Several police officers were embarrassed by the piquant situation created by the Government due to delay in their postings as even after their promotion by no less an institution than the State Cabinet, they continued to serve on the previous posts.
Four senior police officers-one DIG and three SSPs were cleared for promotion to next rank by the DPC on July 26, 2013. The Cabinet had approved the promotions on August 4, 2013 i.e. more than two months back.
The promoted officers included T Punchok, DIG Indian Reserve Police (IRP), Jagdish Lal Sharma, SSP CID (Special Branch), Jammu, Vijay Singh Samyal, Commandant IRP 10th battalion and Bashir Ahmad Itoo, SSP Railways Kashmir. Mr Punchok was promoted as IGP while three SSPs were promoted as DIGs.
Only yesterday, Mr Punchok was given charge of IGP Armed through a temporary order while all three officers promoted as DIGs continued to serve on the posts of SSPs.
This, sources said, is despite the fact that there was no dearth of vacant posts of DIGs in the Police Department. Abdul Hamid had retired as DIG IRP Kashmir on September 30 while the posts of DIG Administration (Police Headquarters), DIG Armed Srinagar, DIG IRP Jammu, DIG IRP Kashmir, DIG CIV (Crime Intelligence Vigilance), Police Headquarters and DIG Training, Armed Police Headquarters were vacant.
The post of DIG Administration Police Headquarters is vacant since the retirement of Rajinder Gupta on June 30 while the post of DIG CIV Headquarters had not been filled after the posting of IPS officer Satish Khandaray. The post of DIG CIV Police Headquarters fell vacant after Abdul Qayoom Manhas was promoted as IGP, who had even retired last year.
Alok Kumar, DIG, who had been repatriated to Jammu and Kashmir from Central deputation in Bihar, Sunil Gupta, SSP who was transferred from Kishtwar in the wake of August 9 violence, Shakti Pathak, Javed Koul, Ashok Sharma and Rashmi Wazir, all four SSPs, who were shifted from the State Vigilance Organisation on August 25, 2013 and Zahid Manhas, who had been transferred as Additional SP Kathua about three and a half months back, are camping in Police Headquarters awaiting their postings for past quite sometime now.
Ninety-three Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs), who were promoted as Incharge SPs vide Government order No. 270 of 2013 dated July 4, 2013 after being accorded Selection Grade by the DPC on June 6, 2013, continued to work as DySPs even after over three months of approval to their promotion by the Government.
The promotion of 93 DySPs as SPs had already been delayed as they belonged to 2001 batch of KPS and included promotees. However, all of them continued to work as DySPs despite the Cabinet approval of their promotion and clear vacancies, which the DPC had identified before giving nod to their promotion.
Some of the promoted Incharge SPs continued to work as Sub Divisional Police Officers (SDPOs) under the officers of the rank of Additional SPs, creating an embarrassing situation for them.
“Some officers call us as DySPs and others as SPs. This is very piquant situation in which we have been caught,” a few officers said on the condition of anonymity.
Sources said 40 Prosecuting Officers (POs) were promoted as Senior Prosecuting Officers (SPOs) more than three months back. They too haven’t been adjusted so far.
The post of SSP Reasi is lying vacant since August 31 after the retirement of Raghubir Singh. Additional SP Mohammad Sharief Chouhan has been officiating as SP Reasi since then.
Holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji, which has always been on terror radar, also falls in Reasi district.
Three senior police officers, Farooq Khan, IGP and Director Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy (SKPA), Rouf-ul-Hassan, IGP Armed and Abdul Hamid, DIG IRP Kashmir had retired from services on September 30. The charge of IGP Armed was yesterday given to newly promoted IGP T Punchok through an interim order while two other posts of the retired officers were lying vacant.
The charge of Director SKPA has been given to Joint Director SKPA Parminder Singh, DIG.
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