THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After a police inspector was suspended on Monday for having an unholy nexus with land mafia with criminal antecedents, the police chief has once again cracked his whip. Four more officers, three of them Inspectors and one Sub-inspector, were suspended by Anil Kant for their perceived connection with criminals and members of the land mafia.
Mangalapuram Inspector Sajesh, Pettah Inspector Riyas Raja, Cheranellore Inspector Vipin Kumar and Thiruvallam SI Satheesh Kumar were subjected to disciplinary action after initial investigation revealed they had connections with the land mafia and criminal elements. Railway Inspector Abhilash David was suspended on Monday night on the same charges. The names of more officers, who reportedly have adverse intelligence reports, have been forwarded to the police chief for similar disciplinary action, said police sources.
The disciplinary action against the cops came after CM Pinarayi Vijayan summoned Anil Kant, Law and Order ADGP M R Ajithkumar and Intelligence ADGP T K Vinod Kumar on Monday. Contrary to conventions, Thiruvananthapuram City Commissioner I G C H Nagaraju and Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP D Shilpa were also summoned by the CM. Sources said the recent goonda attack at Pattoor in Pettah police station limits and the hurling of crude explosives at police in Mangalapuram station limits prompted the CM to summon the top cops. Also, the suspects who had hurled bombs at the police later attacked the brother of one of the personnel staff of the CM. This also prompted the CM to take up the matter with the senior cops.
After the meeting with the CM, the police department acted in a jiffy. The section clerk and superintendent were summoned to the office at night and the order was issued at midnight. While the suspension order of Abhilash was issued by the office of the Police Chief, the orders of the rest of the officers were issued by the office of the Law and Order ADGP.
The Pettah Inspector had come under the scanner for his lethargic action against gangster Om Prakash and his gang that had hacked four men near Pattoor on January 8.
The Pettah police have so far failed to nab the key accused, Om Prakash, inviting criticism. There has been an allegation that a section of officers in the city police was trying to shield Prakash, who reportedly enjoyed political patronage.
Sources said though several senior officers meddled in the probe, the department tried to stop the buck with Pettah Inspector for allegedly going soft on Prakash.
Though five people have so far been arrested in connection with the case, the Commissioner's office has not released even a single press release on their arrest.
"The Commissioner's office during the period issued a detailed statement on persons, who were arrested in the motor accident case. But not a single release was issued on those arrested in Pattoor goonda attack case. There were even attempts made not to release any information about the arrests to the media. Officers from the rank of constables to Sub-inspectors through the City Commissioner are answerable for the lethargy. An Inspector alone cannot manage all these things and singling him out won't serve the purpose," the sources added.