3 cops shunted after report by state BJP head

BHOPAL/INDORE: The Madhya Pradesh government has transferred three officers, including two police personnel, since Tuesday evening for an alleged attack on RSS workers in police custody in Dhar district on the basis of a report by two BJP MPs without waiting for a government inquiry to finish.

This is the second time in a month that police personnel have had to face music for acting against RSS workers. The first was in Balaghat on September 26 when 10 policemen were booked for attempt to murder on September 26 for the alleged custodial beating of RSS leader Suresh Yadav, whose medical report showed he received minor injuries.

On Wednesday, the government transferred Gandhwani sub-divisional magistrate Satyendra Singh to Badwani, a day after Petlawad and Manawar sub-divisional officers (police) Rakesh Vyas and Dheeraj Babbar were attached to the IG’s office in Indore for allegedly beating up RSS workers after a communal riot in the region. The police had detained 14 persons, including RSS workers, after a shop owned by a Muslim was burnt. The policemen were transferred following a report given by state BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan.

Vyas was quick to express his anger with two Facebook posts.

THE POLICEMEN WERE TRANSFERRED FOLLOWING A REPORT GIVEN BY STATE BJP PRESIDENT NANDKUMAR SINGH CHAUHAN

The first on Tuesday read, “Chalunga usi rah par jo sidhi, saaf ho, parwah nahi jo jamana khilaf ho,” (I will tread on the path that is straight and clear without bothering even if the world is opposed to me). In the second post on Wednesday, he asked why only police personnel were suspended for doing their duty.

The suspensions fuelled anger within BJP over the “haste” shown in initiating action on the advice of Chauhan, who had forwarded the recommendations submitted by MPs — Sudhir Gupta of Mandsaur and Subhash Thakur of Khargone — to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

“The state president’s report to the CM is first of its kind since BJP came to power in 2003 and it shows increasing RSS pressure,” a senior party leader told HT. “The state president’s inquiry into the matter cannot happen without instructions from RSS. It suggests the RSS leadership wants the state BJP leadership to get involved in such matters and exert pressure on the government to take action”.

State BJP president Chauhan could not be contacted for comments.