The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Police measures hit by constant change in north zone DCPs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Police measures hit by constant change in north zone DCPs

By Marri Ramu

HYDERABAD, MAY 16. North zone is considered to be a peaceful and quiet zone in the Police Commissionerate jurisdiction as it is neither politically nor communally sensitive. But, for some strange reason it is this zone that saw several Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) take charge within short intervals of time.

Between April 2002 and May 2004, four DCPs were posted and shifted on various grounds. Though there are no specific rules and regulations about the period a DCP should serve in a particular zone, allowing an officer to work for a minimum of two to three years in a post is the general administrative norm.

While Ravi Shankar Ayyannar worked for six months (from April 2002 to October 2002) before being shifted to Guntur as SP, A.B. Venkateswara Rao served for four months (from November 2002 to March 2003) and was transferred to Crime Investigation Department on promotion as DIG.

M.V. Ramachandra Raju was shifted to Chittoor as SP after a stint of seven months (between March 2003 to October 2003) and now, Vijaya Kumar has gone to Kosovo on deputation after working for six months (from November 2003 to May 2004). While a new DCP is yet to take charge, police sources said Rajiv Ratan, who returned after serving the Indo-Tibetan Border Police on deputation, was attached to north zone making him the fifth DCP in two years.

It is not known whether this posting too would turn out to be a stopgap arrangement. This frequent shift of officers is naturally affecting the administrative functions and measures taken up for the overall maintenance of law and order. Especially hard-hit are some of the innovative measures introduced by the officers when in charge.

For example, Mr. Ayyannar had unveiled a concept of `interrogation room' where the police personnel were exposed to new methods of eliciting information from suspects without resorting to third degree methods. He also tried to set up an online transfer of post-mortem and other reports from Gandhi Hospital to the police stations.

These measures were stopped as soon as he was moved out. Similarly, Mr. Ramachandra Raju unveiled special plans to check property offences. This too was put on the back burner when he was shifted.

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