IPS officers hold sway over IAS peers in turf war of the sporting kind
LUCKNOW: Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in Uttar Pradesh (UP) have always complained of being forced to ‘play’ poor cousins to officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
But on Saturday, the IPS officers held the upper hand as they defeated the IAS XI by nine wickets in a friendly cricket match between the two services. The match was played as part of the civil service week.
The IPS officers have of late revived their demand for commissionerates.
They were furious over the recent move by the ‘IAS lobby’ to erode the authority of the district police chiefs.
On September 7, a letter from UP chief secretary Rajive Kumar suggested the district magistrates will also chair crime meetings in police lines. The matter required intervention from UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath himself
That’s why throughout the match and afterwards too, attempts were made to play down the controversy with senior bureaucrats posted in the CM’s secretariat playing the ‘all is well’ tune.
For instance, SP Goyal, the principal secretary to the chief minister took to the commentary box, as soon as captain of the IAS team Navneet Sehgal, still recovering from a major accident he met with last year on the AgraLucknow expressway, got out first ball.
“The IAS officers give so much respect to the IPS that they get out without troubling the opposition much,” Goyal said.
A senior official present during the match said, “No one disputes the district magistrate’s role as head of the crime administration, but it’s true that there are a few niggling worries. However issue is now being settled at the highest level.”
After the match, director general of police Sulkhan Singh told reporters, “There is no problem anywhere. All issues will be sorted out amicably.”
The state police chief had voiced his objection to ‘functionality in the crime meeting controversy’ through his November 9 missive,
Chief secretary Rajive Kumar, who was also present during the match, refused to join the controversy.
“The match was played in excellent condition. It was an excellent match too. All played well,” he said with a smile. Additional director general of police DS Chauhan said, “All of us are part of the government. For instance, at the government level both the IAS and IPS are part of the chief secretary’s team.”
Days before the match, IPS association secretary Aseem Arun had written to the IAS association, suggesting that crime meetings be co-chaired by DM and SP/SSP. He had in the same letter also urged the body to end the “imperialist attitude of the IAS.”
In this backdrop, it is anybody’s guess how long the smiles and handshakes that followed the match will last.