DGP panel: Mustafa ‘ignored’, to move SC
NEW TWIST Says state officials conspired against him at UPSC meet
My name was left out of the panel with an ulterior motive. I will make startling revelations against those who have been preferred over me. MOHD MUSTAFA, DGP STF
The tussle over the new Punjab Police chief took a fresh turn on Wednesday with DGP, special task force, Mohd Mustafa, saying that he has been left out of the three-member panel finalised by the Union Public Service Commission and would move the Supreme Court for being ignored for the top job.
“There was a conspiracy keep me out of the panel and I will take this fight for my right to the logical end,” Mustafa, a 1985-batch officer who was seen as a strong probable for the post, told Hindustan Times.
On February 4, after the UPSC meeting in New Delhi, state government sources had indicated that names of Mustafa, DGP intelligence Dinkar Gupta and Samant Goyal, who is on central deputation, were on the panel cleared by the commission. A day later, some reports suggested that the UPSC had cleared names of Gupta, DGP admin MK Tiwari, DGP provision VK Bhawra for the post.
Mustafa’s latest remarks confirm that his name is not on the panel. The state government, however, is yet to receive any official communication from the UPSC regarding it.
“The appointment of DGP is the prerogative of the state government and there is no dispute about it. But my name was left out of the panel with an ulterior motive,” said Mustafa. “Throughout my career, I have served the force with full dedication and integrity. Not having my name on the panel is like a stigma,” he added.
Without taking any names, Mustafa said he has reliably learnt that the state representatives in the UPSC meeting on Monday exceeded their briefs and went overboard to get him excluded from the panel citing frivolous and ridiculous reasons. The state was represented by chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh and DGP Suresh Arora.
“One reason cited by a state official in the meeting was that I should not be considered because the distance of our house situated in Malerkotla is mere 200 metres from the limits of the assembly constituency from where my wife is the MLA,” said Mustafa.
Mustafa’s wife Razia Sultana is a Congress MLA from Malerkotla and minister for higher education and water supply and sanitation in chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s cabinet. Mustafa said as per the top court guidelines, there were only three criteria to judge the suitability of a person to head the state police.
“First is seniority, second is ‘very good service record’ and third is range of experience in policing. I am head and shoulders above the three others considered by the UPSC,” said Mustafa.
The DGP STF also warned that he would bring on record, in the SC, many startling revelations about the officers who were being preferred over him.
Mustafa said he has sought an appointment from the chief minister to brief him about the whole issue.
“I will inform the chief minister on how conspiracies are being hatched against me and how redundant and frivolous issues have been flagged to damage my case. I will also request the state government for reconsideration of the panel because it doesn’t adhere to seniority and merit,” said Mustafa.
On January 21, Punjab government had sent a panel of officials to the UPSC for selection of the new DGP as per the procedure set by the Supreme Court.
MUSTAFA SAID HE HAS SOUGHT AN APPOINTMENT FROM THE CHIEF MINISTER TO BRIEF HIM ABOUT THE WHOLE ISSUE