UP Government Suspends IPS Officer Who Booked Yogi Adityanath Under NSA In 2002
Image for representational use only. Image courtesy : The Financial Express
The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has suspended a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer — who had booked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in 2002, when Adityanath was the Member of Parliament (MP) from Gorakhpur, under the National Security Act (NSA).
The suspension came more than a fortnight after the IPS officer, Jasvir Singh, said in an interview with Huffington Post that he had been sidelined ever since he had booked Adityanath.
Singh, who was the Maharajganj Superintendent of Police (SP) in 2002 when he had booked the current CM, said he had refused to withdraw the case for preventive detention against Adityanath despite pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh. Two days later, Singh was transferred to the food cell of the Uttar Pradesh Police.
As per the UP police website, Jasvir Singh, who was serving as ADG (Additional Director General of Police) Rules and Manual in UP, was suspended on 14 February, days after the interview was published.
In the 30 January interview, the ADG had said he was given “dead-end postings” in his career after he tried to hold politicians and ministers accountable. He also claimed he had done the work suitable to a police officer for only “six months” in his 26-year-long career.
According to PTI, Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said, “Yes, the ADG has been suspended for violating code of conduct. Action was initiated against the ADG for making controversial statements in an interview and for his unauthorised absence from duty since 4 February. The officer went on leave without getting it sanctioned from competent authorities.
Read Also : How the Adityanath Govt has Reduced UP Police to an ‘Encounter’ Tool
During his 16-day stint as the SP Maharajganj in 2002, Singh had initiated proceedings to invoke the NSA against Adityanath in a case dealing with violation of prohibitory orders in 1995.
In 2003, during his tenure as the SP of UP police’s food cell, he accused the then Samajwadi Party (SP) minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya of corruption in the multi-crore food scam in Lakhimpur Kheri.
Accusing the Adityanath government of suspending an honest IPS officer, ex-IG (UP police) SR Darapuri told Newsclick, “There was nothing in his statement. It was a fact. He has only stated the pressure that was put on him to revoke the NSA against Adityanath, and surprisingly it was Mayawati who was in power in Uttar Pradesh. The BSP supremo was not expected to do this, but political parties joined hands as their interests were common. Jasvir Singh’s transfer by Mayawati was totally unethical and a misuse of power.”
When asked about Jasvir Singh bringing up the encounter policy under Yogi regime, Darapuri said, “I can say with full authority that 99 per cent of encounter are fake. The people are being picked up and being shot dead. It is all being done in the name of controlling crime. These were extra-judicial killings. The matter has already gone to the Supreme Court of India, and I am sure the SC would order inquiry by a special investigation team and the whole truth will be out officially.”
“Therefore, commenting or giving an interview on that is not against the government policy, because killing innocent persons is not state policy, it is just extra-judicial killing. Jasvir made a statement of the facts in the interview. He did not violate any rules. He was targetted because of he has been law-abiding and straightforward officer, and he didn’t succumb to any political pressure.”
Read Also : With Four Killings a Day, Yogi Govt Prefers Encounters over Normal Policing to Improve Law and Order
Singh was quoted by the Huffington Post as saying, “They want loyalty to political persons. This is totally unconstitutional. If we don’t resist, things won’t change. Resisting is the most rewarding thing especially when there is a big allurement.”
Attempts by Newsclick to contact Jasvir Singh yielded no results as his mobile phone was switched off.
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