Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

Panda a disgrace to police: Congress

Mulayam draws flak for not taking action against senior police officer

Lucknow: Congress on Friday charged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav with failing to take appropriate action against IPS officer D K Panda, who prefers dressing up like a woman in public.

The party claimed that despite sufficient evidence against Mr. Panda, who calls himself `Doosri Radha', the Chief Minister has not ordered setting up of a medical board to examine his mental fitness to continue in office. ``Panda is disgrace to the police force with his antics but the State Government is ignoring it,'' said state party chief spokesperson A P Singh here.

Mr Singh claimed that while on one hand the State Government transfers honest police officers on the request of small time politicians, it is ignoring the damage Mr. Panda has done to the morale of the police force.''

Congress said Mr. Panda was openly violating Officers' Service Conduct rules and Police Manual. ``He is IG (Rules and Manuals). It is ironic that a person at that level himself is taking the system for a ride,'' he added.

The 1971 batch IPS officer, donning the role of ``Krishna's Radha'' for the last 14 years, had on Wednesday vacated his official residence here, but not before charging wife and fellow cops with harassment.

Devendra Kishore Panda, or ``Doosri Radha'' as the officer prefers being called, accused his wife Veena of ``physically harassing'' him and said that he could no longer stay with her in the same house.

``She even threatens to send me to jail and hence I am unable to stay with her any longer,'' Mr. Panda added.

The police officer, who had worn his uniform on Monday last to appear before State Director General of Police Yashpal Singh, also alleged that officers much junior to him had also ``misbehaved'' with him. -- UNI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

IIM knocks PM's door on Manjunath murder
Another fatal disease hits U.P.
Panda a disgrace to police: Congress

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu