LUCKNOW: A verbal spat between BJP MLA Radha Mohan Das Agarwal from Gorakhpur and 2014 batch IPS officer Charu Nigam snowballed into a big controversy drawing protests from the Uttar Pradesh IPS Association on Monday which highlighted the highhandedness of people’s representatives and deplored their alleged uncouth behaviour with police here on Monday.
Following the brouhaha on Sunday, three senior police officers and members of UP IPS Association met chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar on Monday evening here, demanding action against the errant MLA and others who had a verbal dual with the police officers in full public view.
During the argument, circle officer Charu Nigam was caught on camera wiping her tears. Nigam is also famous as lady Singham in media circles for her proactive role in cracking down on eve teasers through anti-Romeo sqauds.
The incident occurred in Kareemnagar locality of Gorakhpur on Sunday where some people protesting against a liquor shop in a residential area were removed by police after a mild cane charge. Radha Mohan Das, who reached the spot amid allegations that Nigam was using force to remove protestors.
On Monday morning, Nigam expressed her views on social media wherein she denied having wept saying she got a little emotional as her senior officer came to her rescue amidst the ruckus on road. My tears were not my weakness,” she said
in one of her posts on Facebook.
Other IPS officer posted in Uttar Pradesh, including former Lucknow SSP Manzil Saini, advised Charu not to give up.
The IPS Association also highlighted the volatile protests in Saharanpur and Agra, where police officers remained at the receiving end on three occasions.
While the All India IPS association condemned the incident by tweeting “If
interference in law enforcement goes unpunished, ability of police to protect people gets eroded.”
The UP chapter of the IPS Association, however, tweeted their hopes that the Adityanath Yogi government would send a strong message this time.
Secretary, UP IPS Association, Prakash D tweeted, “We met the chief secretary in the evening to bring the incident to his notice, however, he was already in the know of things.”
Praksha D further said that the association was assured by the chief secretary that the law will take its course and the guilty would be punished. “An FIR was registered and the probe is on,” he tweeted.
UP AIPS Association President Pravin Singh and another office bearer Aparna Kumar were also present in the meeting with the chief secretary.