12, Aug 2011

The DNA
August 12, 2011

IPS officers face govt’s ire for not toeing the line

Sources say the action
against various IPS officers who refused to follow the govt’s diktat
during the 2002 riots, shows that the govt wants to use this as an
example to warn other cops in the state

Roxy Gagdekar l Ahmedabad

If IPS officer Rahul
Sharma is chargesheeted, he will be among half a dozen of the top cops
from the state to be targeted by the government for directly or
indirectly failing to toe the government line on the 2002 communal
riots. Meanwhile, the slew of action against various cops on some or
the other grounds is adversely affecting the morale of the police
department.

Sharma is the second
officer to face the government’s ire this week. Earlier on Monday,
another IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was suspended for failing to report
to duty. What is common in the two cases is that both Sharma and Bhatt
provided some incriminating evidence against the government’s alleged
role in the 2002 communal riots. The abrupt stern action against the
two cops in a week is believed to be an attempt to send a clear
message to others about the establishment’s zero tolerance to such
behaviour.
As many as six IPS officers, who dared to confront the establishment,
found themselves transferred to non-functional or non-policing
postings, faced suspensions and even departmental inquiries.

“It is not just the 2002
riots haunting the state government. The Sohrabuddin fake encounter
and the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter are also giving them sleepless
nights,” a cop told DNA on condition of anonymity.

“There is a distinct fear
factor in the force. We are caught between a rock and a hard place. If
we play party to the state government’s ministrations, we may fall on
the wrong side of law in years to come, when this party may not
necessarily be in power,” he added.
Retired Director General of Police RB Sreekumar, said the Modi
government is in panic and have been defensive now. “The government
now doesn’t want any more cops to raise voice against it. Targeting
cops shows that the government is becoming defensive while at the same
time giving the message that rebellion will not be tolerated,” said
Sreekumar.
He said such actions have reduced the morale of the cops. He further
said that if a cop does not reveal the truth, he could be accused of
perjury and it is a policeman’s duty to reveal the correct information
before any inquiry commission.