Does Uttar Pradesh not need Director General of Police at all?

Sanjay Bhatnagar

Lucknow: The latest joke doing rounds in police, administration and media circles goes as if the state like Uttar Pradesh can do without police head for three weeks, it may do for ever-reason being the hassle-free period starting January one.

It is since three weeks ,the previous Director General of Police (DGP) Sulkhan Singh attained superannuation on December 31st but the next incumbent ( O P Singh ) could not take charge due to reasons best known to the Centre and the UP government. Historically, this perhaps the first occasion when the state remained without DGP but again it is subject apart.

The wranglings behind the posting of new DGP notwithstanding ,the fact existed that the state had no effect on the law and order and routine functioning of the police. The absence of police head may have some bearings on daily functioning of the police administration but the overall scenario remains the same.

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What does it show? On the negative side, the state may well be run without the DGP and on the positive side, the guard is fine. Whatever the reason the joke can even be extended to the functioning of Yogi government in the state as well. Well ! for the indecisiveness over the posting of an officer nothing less than the stature of DGP of the state having 75 districts and population of 22 crore.

This is the irony with the present ruling dispensation that the confusion has been the hallmark of the administration. The vacant post of UP DGP is just another example of the lacklustre way of governance in the state.

It may be recalled that after exit of Sulkhan Singh, the DG CSIF Om Prakash Singh was named his successor. About three weeks elapsed since then but there is no sight of him for undisclosed reasons. It was Additional Director General of Police (ADG) , Law and Order Anand Kumar who was asked to look after the charge of DGP till new incumbent takes over but it was too long a period for the ad hoc arrangement despite being noise-free.

This is again Uttar Pradesh for you which is the finest example of the functional anarchy at its best.

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