BENGALURU: The recent spate of transfers of IPS officers, cutting short their one-year tenure, has come as a rude shock to the police department.Barring one case, almost all the officers have got a stay on their transfers from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on the grounds that they were moved before completing the minimum one-year tenure.
Last weekend, the government abruptly transferred Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (West), Bengaluru City, B Ramesh and posted him as Superintendent of Police (SP), Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), 9th Battalion, in place of the incumbent Commandant, KSRP, S Girish, who was in turn posted as DCP(W). On Monday, Ramesh approached the CAT and got a stay on his transfer on the ground that he was posted to the city only in June this year, and was not even halfway through his one-year tenure.
Last month, Commandant, KSRP, 4th Battalion and Director, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Abhinav Khare, who was transferred from Shivamogga in February this year, was posted as Superintendent of Police, Chikkaballapura, in place of Santosh Babu, who was transferred out and is now awaiting posting.
The case of Dharwad SP Vartika Katiyar was the most curious of the lot. Within 30 days of being posted to the district on October 18, she was moved to Kalaburagi in place of incumbent Kalaburagi SP Iada Martin Marbaniang. The two officers got a reprieve from the Tribunal, which stayed their transfers.Additional Director General of Police Alok Kumar had the shortest tenure of 47 days as Commissioner, Bengaluru City.He was posted as the top cop on June 17 and posted out on August 2.
“The abrupt and ad hoc transfers of officers, who are hardly a month or two into their tenure, is a clear violation of the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2013, which guarantees minimum one-year tenure to officers, especially those on operational duties. The amended section 20F of the KP Act clearly states that unless there are compelling reasons such as promotion of the officer or conviction in a criminal case, suspension, incapacitation due to physical or mental illness, or on the request of the officer in writing for transfer, the government will ensure minimum one-year tenure to police officers,” said a senior IPS officer.
Another officer said that the single transfer orders of police officers, who are not even halfway through their minimum tenure, have become a joke in the IPS fraternity.
“A day after their transfer order is issued, they are getting a stay from CAT. This is neither a healthy practice nor is it good for the morale of the police officers. A one-year tenure itself is very short for executive postings. By the time the officer finds his bearings, it is time for him to hand over the baton to another officer. It is disastrous if there is disruption in even the one-year-tenure. It will break the spine of policing,” added another officer.