SHOs' postings raise eyebrows

Aneesha Sareen

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 23

Yesterday’s reshuffle in the UT police in which eight of the 11 station house officers (SHOs), in charge of various police stations in the city, were shifted has raised eyebrows as some of them have questionable antecedents.
The fresh postings have kicked off discussions in police circles about the controversial past of some of the Inspectors who have been appointed as SHOs.
For instance, Inspector Udey Pal Singh, who was indicted for his negligence in the sensational Khushpreet kidnapping and murder case of December 2010, has made a comeback and has now been posted as the SHO of the Sector 17 police station. Inspector Udey Pal was at the centre of all flak. He was indicted in a police inquiry by the Police Complaints Authority and a magisterial probe, and had also earned the wrath of the Punjab and Haryana Court for his negligence in dealing with the Khushpreet case. The five-year-old boy was found murdered on January 5, 2011, 15 days after he was kidnapped. The accused had fled right under the nose of the police during a police trap 13 days prior to the murder. While Inspector Udey Pal was punished with forfeiture of increments, the punishments awarded to him have been set aside following an appeal by him.
Another newly appointed  SHO, posted with a sensitive  police station, has also had a controversial past. When posted as an ASI several years ago, he was found drinking in police uniform with his friends in an open jeep during a check by the then SP, Baldev Singh, who was then out on night checking.
The Inspector had removed his shirt on seeing his seniors, hid it under a seat in his open jeep and made an attempt to flee in his vest. The senior officers had then acted against him.
Some of the SHOs have been simply moved from one police station to another, thus depriving several others of the opportunity to serve as SHO. Inspector Bhupinder Singh, who was in charge of the Sector 36 police station, is now the SHO of the Sector 31 police station.

Inspector Ram Dayal, who is an amputee as he lost his legs in a train accident during a UN peacekeeping mission in Germany in 1999 - was appointed as the SHO of the Sector 36 police station. Dayal was earlier posted with the traffic police.

Inspector Anokh Singh, who was posted as the SHO of the Sector 26 police station, has been transferred to the PCR wing. Anokh Singh was the complainant in the case of corruption against SP Desraj Singh in 2012 and was thus not in the "good books" of the seniors.

Inspector Dilsher Singh, who was made the SHO of the Sector 17 police station, has been transferred to the Police Lines. The SHO had himself sought transfer as he feared a "threat", sources said.

What the IGP says

"The new postings of SHOs have been made keeping in view the requirement, efficiency and conduct of the officers and also their seniority. Everyone must get a chance to serve. They will have to perform and their performance is always under our review" RP Upadhyaya, UT IGP