Lucknow:
In a surprise change of guard, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday shunted Vikram Singh to head the Home Guards and appointed Karamvir Singh as new Director General of Police (DGP).
In a state where the law and order situation has deteriorated in the last two years, and police force have become demoralised by politically motivated transfers, the police establishment is counting on the new DGP to turn things around, and shield them from political interference.
Vikram Singh's tenure as the DGP of Uttar Pradesh came to an abrupt end eight months before retirement. He had more than two years of uninterrupted service, which was the longest for any police officer in the state.
This is a surprising turn of fortunes for an officer who was once close to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. The top officer's compensation spree for Dalit victims of rape and murder earned him the label of Mayawati's foot soldier.
However, it was the famous encounter in the state, in which 500 policemen were battling a lone dacoit for 48 hours, which started Vikram Singh's downfall.
Now Karamvir Singh will head the country's largest police force in a state where transfers have become a rule. Thirty-four Indian Police Service (IPS) officers were shunted out after the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
The new DGP promises to change that practice. "It is one of my responsibilities to see that those people who are good at their work, they are protected and those who are not good at their work, they are not protected", said Karamvir Singh.
However, he also said that there was no need to review the transfer policy for now.
In a state where the law and order situation has deteriorated in the last two years, and police force have become demoralised by politically motivated transfers, the police establishment is counting on the new DGP to turn things around, and shield them from political interference.
Vikram Singh's tenure as the DGP of Uttar Pradesh came to an abrupt end eight months before retirement. He had more than two years of uninterrupted service, which was the longest for any police officer in the state.
This is a surprising turn of fortunes for an officer who was once close to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. The top officer's compensation spree for Dalit victims of rape and murder earned him the label of Mayawati's foot soldier.
However, it was the famous encounter in the state, in which 500 policemen were battling a lone dacoit for 48 hours, which started Vikram Singh's downfall.
Now Karamvir Singh will head the country's largest police force in a state where transfers have become a rule. Thirty-four Indian Police Service (IPS) officers were shunted out after the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
The new DGP promises to change that practice. "It is one of my responsibilities to see that those people who are good at their work, they are protected and those who are not good at their work, they are not protected", said Karamvir Singh.
However, he also said that there was no need to review the transfer policy for now.
