Police transfers amidst varying views

Police transfers amidst varying views

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 5, 2016: Reports state that at least 11 police constables including two head constables of Mangaluru rural police station have been transferred to various places, allegedly due to their participation in a protest.

Highly placed sources claim that the transfer of at least nine constables was a punishment for participating in snap protest last December. They had protested the action taken against the former circle inspector Pramod Kumar. However, M Chandra Sekhar, city police commissioner refuted this claim and maintained that transfers were an annual administrative process. "These are not punishment transfers," he frowned.

Some sources from the police station added that only three of them had asked for transfers. Among eight constables, two of them had joined station just a year ago. Earlier, soon after the police personnel protest, Pramod Kumar was transferred to Chamarajanagar district.

Transfer orders were issued on June 30. "We are not happy with the decision and we all have termed it as general transfer as we cannot call it as punishment transfer," a senior head constable commented. Transferred constables will take charge at their new work places after Eid festival.

Mangaluru rural police station, which covers 54.3 sq kms, including 16 villages, is being operated from a private godown from the past six years. The station has sanctioned a strength of 51 personnel including PI, PSI and SI but currently, there are only 35 staff.

Around 10 new constables, who are undergoing training, will join in two months. "Staff crunch adds more woes as the station covers a larger area and crime rate too is high here," complained a police constable from the station.

In a year, the station registered more than 500 FIRs, 70 unnatural death cases and cleared around 6,000 passport verifications and  NCRs,  non-cognizable reports.

Investigating officer in Baliga’s murder shifted :  ACP Tilak Chandra who was investigating RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga’s murder has reportedly been transferred to the traffic sub-division while his place would be taken by ACP Udaya Nayak. On the other hand, CCB police officer Valentine D’Souza has also been transferred and would be replaced by Sunil Nayak.