2 senior cops may face music over large-scale PAC demotions

THE OFFICIAL ADDED THE

SENIOR POLICE OFFICIALS WERE NOW CONSIDERING TO REVOKE THE DEMOTIONS OF THE PAC PERSONNEL FIRST BEFORE SENDING THE REPORT TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT

Two senior police officers were likely to face the music after chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday expressed displeasure over the decision to demote 896 personnel of the UP Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) earlier this month, said senior government officials who are privy to the development.

They also said the two officers had played the main role in the decision to demote the PAC personnel while sending them back to their parent cadre. These PAC personnel were working in the civil police for the past many years.

The chief minister had also stated that such decisions to demote personnel lowered the morale of the entire police force.

The officials said the state police headquarters was trying to fix the responsibility of the officers behind this order after the chief minister asked director general of police HC Awasthy to present his report on the matter to the state government at the earliest.

“Issuing orders for the demotion of such a large number of PAC personnel, without bringing it to the knowledge of the state government, is a major fault. It could not have been done by junior officers. The responsibility of two senior police officers of the police recruitment and promotion board and police establishment will certainly be held (fixed) if any adverse report is submitted to the government,” a senior government official said.

The official added the senior police officials were now considering to revoke the demotions of the PAC personnel first before sending the report to the state government, so that any action against the officers responsible for the demotions could be averted. He explained that the officials believed they could make amends in this way.

Another official said the order for demoting PAC personnel, while sending them back to their parent cadre, was issued on September 10 after a recommendation by the recruitment and promotion board. The recommendation stated that it was found that many PAC personnel not only worked full-time with the civil police against set procedures, but also got promoted during the past few years, he added. A committee headed by a deputy superintendent of police rank officer of the establishment board and four other members was formed to review the promotion of police officers on November 28, 2019, he said.