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Top Meerut officials shown the door

DM, SSP among four officials transferred; students ransack Collector's office

PHOTO: PRAVEEN KUMAR

POLICE ACTION: Policemen dispersing students who were protesting against the local administration for mishandling the fire tragedy, in Meerut on Wednesday.

Lucknow/Meerut: Under attack over inadequate safety measures at the trade fair ravaged by fire, the Uttar Pradesh Government on Wednesday overhauled the top echelon of the Meerut administration shifting four officials including the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police.

The SP (City) and the Additional District Magistrate were the other two officials who were removed, Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) S. K. Agarwal told reporters here.

Meerut District Magistrate Ram Krishna, whose office was ransacked by students earlier in the day, was replaced by Mau DM Mukesh Meshram.

Ram Krishna had been sent to the Planning Department, Mr. Agarwal said.

Navneet Sikera, attached with the Police Headquarters in Lucknow, was made the new SSP (Meerut) in place of Rajiv Sabbarwal who had been posted as PAC Commandant (Gorakhpur).

Mr. Sikera was recently transferred from Varanasi in the wake of twin terror strikes there.

SP (Meerut) S. S. Yadav was replaced by U. S. Jaiswal, an ASP in the Police Headquarters (Allahabad), and ADM S. C. Dubey by Manvendra Singh, ADM (Executive) Bareilly, the Principal Secretary (Home) said.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Bua Singh, also present at the press briefing, said nine people had been arrested in connection with ransacking of the DM's office in Meerut.

He said the toll in the devastating fire had risen to 36, adding five bodies still remained unidentified and nine people were reportedly missing.

The State Government had written a letter to the Allahabad High Court Chief Justice requesting him to appoint a sitting judge for conducting a probe into the tragedy, State Chief Secretary N. C. Bajpai said.

The administrative inquiry into the blaze would be conducted by Commissioner (Meerut) Mohinder Singh, he said adding his fact-finding report would be available soon.

On plying of rollers at the scene of the blaze, the DGP said this was done only to ascertain whether any body was lying beneath the charred remains.

Nothing was removed from the scene, he said.

Asked whether the top officials were removed on charges of showing laxity, the DGP merely said sometimes public outcry had to be given weightage.

Meerut Commissioner to conduct administrative inquiry.--PTI/UNI

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