Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 10: Following yesterday’s differences between Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and BJP Ministers over postings of Kashmir Police Services (KPS) officers on higher posts of DIGs and IGs, the State Government today set up Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) comprising six Cabinet Ministers-three each from PDP and BJP-to deliberate upon the issue, involve consensus and report back to the Cabinet before next meeting.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today constituted the CSC and asked it to submit report as early as possible so that the issue can be taken up in the next Cabinet meeting.
The CSC comprised Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu, Education Minister Naeem Akhter, FCS&CA Minister Choudhary Zulfikar Ali (all PDP), Health Minister Bali Bhagat, Forest Minister Choudhary Lal Singh and Industries and Commerce Minister Chander Prakash Ganga (all BJP).
The CSC will go into all issues of restructuring of Kashmir Police Services (KPS) and take a decision on promotional avenues of KPS officers at par with KAS. It may be mentioned here that for cadre restructuring of KAS also, the Government had at that time constituted the CSC.
Meanwhile, certain startling facts have come to the fore regarding discrimination with KPS officers. At least 50 posts of Indian Police Services (IPS) from the quota of KPS officers’ induction into the IPS are lying vacant in Jammu and Kashmir since 2008. At least 75 KPS officers are working as Superintendents of Police (SPs) for the last 11 years without any further promotion.
Delay in fixation of seniority of KPS officers and other SPs is being attributed as major reason for non-induction of KPS officers into IPS and their promotion to the next grade, top official sources told the Excelsior.
They said though the induction of KPS officers into the IPS is an annual exercise, in Jammu and Kashmir not a single KPS officer has been inducted into the IPS since 2008 i.e. for the last eight years. This has resulted into stagnation and leaving 50 posts of IPS from KPS officers’ quota vacant. Still, there seems to be no seriousness on part of the Government to resolve the issues and set the stage for induction of KPS officers into the IPS.
Nearly 75 KPS officers were last promoted in 2005 from DySPs to SPs. And, for the last 11 years, all of them are still working as the SPs with no further promotions.
“Had the Government set the things right and work out proper mechanism, today 50 KPS officers would have inducted into IPS and got promotions to higher posts like DIGs. Presently, only IPS officers can be promoted as DIGs and above,” sources said, adding that it was responsibility of the Home Department to clear all bottlenecks in induction of KPS officers into the IPS and their promotions so that the police officers, who have been doing commendable job in anti-militancy front in the disturbed Jammu and Kashmir State don’t get demoralized.
The fixation of seniority of the KPS officers was also responsibility of the Home Department.
“Unless the seniority list of the KPS officers is finalized, there will be no promotions and no induction of KPS officers into IPS,” sources said, adding that the State Government should ensure fixation of seniority of the KPS officers immediately as all promotion and induction related issues of the KPS officers can be solved only through finalization of the seniority list.
Sources said the KPS officers hadn’t asked for anything extraordinary. They just wanted to be at par with KAS officers as both had qualified same exam. “We just want parity with the KAS officers. Nothing more, nothing less,” they observed.
Pointing out that Jammu and Kashmir is the only State where State Police Service doesn’t exist, sources said the demand for creation of J&K Police Service cadre is justified and constitution of KPS cadre has nothing to do with IPS.
“The KPS officers are demanding very little than what’s already exist in KAS and Accounts Service. The posts in Grade Pay 8900 and 10,000 are not DIG or IGP posts. These are just non-uniform, non-police posts in the Home Guards, Human Rights, Vigilance, Telecommunication and Forensic Sciences,” sources said, adding that nomenclature of DIG/IGP can be dispensed off with to remove the confusion if any.
They said there was nothing in the proposal that a State Police Service officer will rise to the rank of DIG or IGP. But in Central Armed Police Forces, the cadre officer from the force rises to the rank of ADGP in his own cadre. However, rank beyond the post of SSP will be undesirable and, as such, only grade enhancement for non-uniform, non-descript posts can be done, which won’t create any confusion.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh told the Excelsior that he and other BJP Ministers have nothing against the KPS officers but had only opposed their posting as DIGs and above posts without their induction into the IPS.
“We stand for giving all monetary benefits to KPS officers including higher grades, pay etc. Even they can be posted in Human Rights, Grievances Cell etc on high posts,” Dr Singh said, adding the BJP Ministers have no problem with conferment of higher grades and title to the KPS officers.
Hailing the sacrifices of State police officers, the Deputy Chief Minister said the Government was determined to their induction into the IPS and remove stagnation among them as early as possible.
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