LUCKNOW: Purported lack of coordination between the Centre and state has left Uttar Pradesh police department headless even after 15 days since the retirement of Sulkhan Singh, the last incumbent on December 30. Unprecedented in the history of UP, while the police department is yearning for a new head, the appointment of new DGP designate OP Singh is still under consideration and could be reviewed.
The delay, as per sources, is attributed to Singh’s premature repatriation to home cadre Uttar Pradesh, which has hit a roadblock at the Centre’s end.
Singh's premature repatriation requires the approval of the appointments committee of cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Modi, while those completing their central deputation are repatriated automatically after approval from the department.
At present, helming CISF as DGP, Om Prakash Singh (from the 1983 batch), is the fifth officer from the top hierarchy of the IPS officers in the UP cadre starting with Pravin Kumar Singh of the 1982 batch, Surya Kumar Shukla also of 1982 batch, Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar and Gopal Gupta of 1983 batch.
Initially, while the search for a new DGP was on, the name of SSB chief Rajnikant Mishra, a 1982 batch IPS officer, was doing the rounds but the Chief Minister believably put his foot down as he did not favour Mishra who had only five months of tenure left. Mishra will be retiring in June this year.
Officially, the state establishment board has selected OP Singh over his four other contenders and what seems to have worked in his favour with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is his two-year-long tenure before his retirement at the end of 2019.
But now, as per highly placed sources, even the top RSS leadership is of the opinion that UP dispensation should look for an alternative for OP Singh. RSS leaders are believed to have conveyed to the state government that after Sulkhan Singh, the appointment of another Thakur officer as police head may send across an impression that the decision was made on caste lines and that it was not proper.
Consequently, the state government is in talks with the Centre and could reverse the order appointing someone else in place of OP Singh.
(With online desk)