Lucknow, Noida to get first police commissioners today
Sujit Pandey, who was part of Mumbai blasts probe during his CBI stint, is the Lucknow commissioner, while Italy-trained Alok Singh to handle Noida
Soon after the Cabinet okayed the commissionerate system of policing in two cities, the Uttar Pradesh Government on Monday appointed senior police officers Sujit Pandey and Alok Singh as the first police commissioners of Lucknow and Noida respectively.
The 1994-batch IPS officer Pandey is Additional Director General of Police (ADG) in Prayagraj at present. Pandey was part of the UN peacekeeping force and has also served CBI for seven years during which he was part of Mumbai blasts probe.
The 1995-batch officer Singh is the ADG Meerut and has been trained in Italy in international policing in conflict-hit areas. Both are likely to assume offices on Tuesday.
The move has come weeks after the violence during the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) had killed 19 persons and injured hundreds across many cities including Lucknow. Intelligence failure and lack of coordination between the district authorities and police were believed as the major reasons for the mess.
Announcing the enforcement of the system at a press conference, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserted, “The new system will help in improving law and order situation. It is adopted mainly because of burgeoning population of Lucknow and Noida which has now touched to 40 lakhs and 25 lakhs respectively.”
Yogi said, "The biggest step towards police reform, which was pending for decades, has been taken by our government. The previous governments failed to do it as they lacked political will.” Over 14 states including Maharashtra have commissionerate system in place.
The commissioners of police will have magisterial powers, which the Senior SP in current system don't have. The 15 powers rested with the district magistrates so far have now been relegated to Noida and Lucknow commissioners. This include power to enforce section 144, lathicharge and gunfire, slap National Security Act and gangster Act.
The move has cut down the powers of DM which was the bone of contention between IPS and IAS lobbies for decades. Senior officers say that the system was proposed in 1973 for the first time. While police officers have welcomed the move, sceptics say that the change might backfire in state like UP where police are neckdeep in corruption and politics.