LUCKNOW: The tug of war triggered between the IAS and IPS – the two administrative wings of the government -- by a letter issued by the office of Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh seems to have been averted for now as the emergency meeting called by the IPS Officers Association on Tuesday to discuss the situation and to thrash out a strategy has been put on hold on an assurance from state home department here on Monday evening.
Notably, Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar had written a letter to district magistrates over a month and half (Sepetmber 7, 2017) ago directing them to chair the crime control meetings in their respective districts to review the crime situation regularly. Interestingly, the IPS cadre took affront of the said correspondence between the Chief Secretary and the DMs interpreting it as a bid to dilute their authority and command in districts. Subsequently, UP DGP too shot off a letter to the home department expressing the common grievance of the IPS cadre over the Chief Secretary’s missive claiming that such a move would leave the cops demoralised.
Acting swiftly to defuse the emerging tensions between the two wings of administration, the state government retreated from its stand on Monday. After marathon meetings throughout the day, Principal Secretary, Home, Arvind Kumar made it clear that the present arrangement would continue and that the suggestions given by the state DGP in this regard were under state government’s consideration.
However, the IPS community had a common refrain that though under Indian Police Act and CrPC, technically and traditionally the DM was the chairman of district-level crime control meetings, but practically Superintendent of Police (SP), an IPS officer convened those meetings and decided the posting of SHOs. Moreover, they thought that if the new correspondent was translated into action, SPs would be left with just the cosmetic role in crime control while DMs would have an edge.
Consequently, the IPS Association had called a meeting to chalk out a course of action. But after the intervention of the state home department which assured the IPS community that the government had no intention to meddle with the defined roles of the DMs and district police chiefs, the emergency meeting was put off.
“The roles of the DM and SSP are well defined in Police Regulations and other relevant Acts. There is no intention of the government to modify those roles,” said Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar. He added that the suggestions made and concerns expressed by state DGP in his letter to the department following Chief Secretary’s September 7 correspondence were undr consideration of the state government.