The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Who will be next city police chief?

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Saturday, Feb 04, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Who will be next city police chief?

If the Government goes by seniority, the city will get its first woman Police Commissioner, as Jija Madhavan Harisingh is the senior-most ADGP, writes K.V. Subramanya

WITH THE political uncertainty in the State ending with the installation of a new government on Friday, the process of appointing the new Bangalore Police Commissioner is likely to be hastened.

Police Commissioner Ajai Kumar Singh, the senior-most Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP), is due for promotion as Director-General of Police (DGP) following the retirement of DGP (Fire Services) S. Mariswamy on January 31.

The Dharam Singh Government was reportedly in favour of upgrading the post of Bangalore Police Commissioner to the rank of DGP and continuing Mr. Ajai Kumar Singh in the upgraded post.

According to top police officials it is still not clear whether the new Government will upgrade the post and continue Mr. Ajai Kumar Singh there or appoint another ADGP to the post.

Incidentally, addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Mr. Ajai Kumar Singh said: "probably this could be my last press conference as Police Commissioner."

The post of Bangalore Police Commissioner is of the rank of ADGP, and there are 12 IPS officers of that rank in the State.

If the Government goes by the seniority of the eligible officials, the city will get its first woman Police Commissioner, as Jija Madhavan Harisingh is the senior-most ADGP. She belongs to the 1975 batch.

However, there is no binding on the Government that it should follow seniority in selecting the Police Commissioner.

There have been several instances wherein the seniority has been overlooked.

Apart from Ms. Jija Harisingh, the other officers in the rank of ADGP (in order of seniority) are Subash Bharani, Sharath C. Saxena, D.V. Guruprasad, S.T. Ramesh, Neelam Achuth Rao, M.K. Srivatsava, A.R. Infant, L.R. Pachuau, Kuchanna Sreenivas, Shankar Mahadev Bidari and Dharamapal Negi.

According to sources in the State police, some ADGPs were unhappy over the Dharam Singh Government's reported move to upgrade the Police Commissioner's post to the rank of DGP.

The sources said the AGDPs were of the opinion that injustice would be done to them if the post is upgraded and also it would send a wrong message that they are not capable of holding the post of Police Commissioner.

Apart from individual merit and seniority of the officials, political and caste considerations are likely to play a role in the posting, the sources said, citing some previous appointments.

On the other hand, some senior police officials feel that Mr. Ajai Kumar Singh should be continued as he is supervising the investigation into the terrorist attack on the Indian Institute of Science.

If he is removed at this juncture, the investigation may get hampered, they feel.

In the early nineties when R. Ramalingam was the Police Commissioner, the Government had upgraded the post of Police Commissioner to the rank of DGP and continued him in the upgraded post.

Subsequently, the Government lowered the post to the rank of ADGP and posted Chandulal as the Police Commissioner.

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