BHOPAL: In a major police department shake-up in Madhya Pradesh, 23 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers were transferred on Monday evening.
The shake-up resulted in 12 districts getting new police chiefs (SPs), including the three districts of Gwalior-Chambal region which witnessed caste violence on April 2, resulting in the loss of seven lives.
District police chiefs of all three caste violence districts, among them Gwalior, Bhind and Morena were changed. While SP Gwalior 2005 batch IPS officer Dr Ashish was shifted as AIG in state police headquarters at Bhopal, the Morena SP 2011 batch IPS officer Aditya Pratap Singh too was shifted to the state PHQ as Commandant of the anti-naxal Hawk Force.
The SP Bhind Prashant Khare (2010 batch IPS) was transferred as SP of Seoni district.
Presently posted as SP Khandwa, 2009 batch IPS officer Navneet Bhaseen was appointed the new SP Gwalior, while SP of naxal affected Balaghat district Amit Sanghi (2010 batch IPS) was appointed the new SP of Morena district. A 2009 batch IPS officer Rudolf Alvares will be the new SP of Bhind district.
Importantly, seven persons were killed and dozens of others, including over 50 police personnel injured in caste violence that was triggered in the three districts of Gwalior-Chambal region on April 2, following the nationwide Bharat Bandh call given by pro-Dalit outfits over the Supreme Court decision against the misuse of provisions of SC/ST (Atrocities) Act.
The shifting of three SPs of the districts of Gwalior-Chambal region is being seen as the fallout of the inability of the police force to timely prevent the April 2 Bharat Bandh violence from snowballing into full fledged caste violence.
At least nine other districts, including Chhattarpur, Rewa, Sidhi, Khandwa, Sehore, Narsinghpur, Shahdol, Balaghat and Seoni too got new district police chiefs.
Another significant change was the appointment of Hawk Force (MP Police’s anti-naxal force) Commandant the 2008 batch IPS officer Jaidevan A as the new SP of naxal-affected Balaghat district. The move is being seen as a strategic move by MP police higher ups and state home department to go on the offensive against the CPI (Maoists) in Balaghat.
Importantly, just two days back 11 villagers, who formed crucial link of the supply network of the naxals in Balaghat district were arrested by the police.