LUCKNOW: Actions against police officials of the trouble-torn central UP district of Bahraich, which witnessed communal conflagration resulting in the loss of life on October 13 and 14, continued on Monday with the removal of the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) (Rural) Pavitra Mohan Tripathi.
The outgoing ASP was attached to DGP headquarters in Lucknow. Durga Prasad Tiwari replaced ASP Tripathi as the new ASP(R). Tripathi is the second senior official shunted out of Bahraich since the October 13 communal clashes.
Earlier, the state police headquarters had removed Deputy Superintendent of Police Rupendra Kumar Gaur on Wednesday. He was relieved of his charge as Mahsi police circle officer following a report submitted to the DGP headquarters, highlighting Guar’s negligence and laxity in the discharge of duties.
Among other junior rank cops, a police station in-charge of Hardi, SK Verma, and Sub-Inspector Shiv Kumar, who was in charge of the Maharajganj police outpost, were suspended for dereliction of duty.
Sources in the police department claimed that Pavitra Mohan Tripathi, a PPS officer of 2000 batch, was posted in the strife-torn area.
During the probe, it surfaced that despite having a section of PAC and other forces at his disposal, he failed to reach the spot in time to take control of the situation.
Meanwhile, Hardi SHO SK Verma and Mahsi outpost in-charge Shiv Kumar were suspended in the aftermath of the violence on October 14. Later, on the report of intelligence failure and the presence of a large number of people, CO Mahsi Rupendra Gaur was suspended. Violence gripped Bahraich following a dispute between two communities over DJ music on October 13 in Mahsi.
Communal tension
Violence gripped Bahraich following a dispute between two communities over DJ music on October 13 in the Mahsi area in which Ram Gopal Mishra, 24, was shot dead. The next day, the large crowd, assembled for the last rites of Mishra, turned violent and indulged in arson and vandalism torching vehicles at automobile showroom and a hospital.