Don’t drag UP police in ‘Bengal politics’, former DGPs tell Mamata

By Deepak Sharma

New Delhi, March 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Several police officers including four former DGPs from Uttar Pradesh have raised serious concern over Trinamool Congress's objection over deployment of UP Police in West Bengal Assembly polls.

"The party and its leader(Mamata Banerji), who politicised the police in Bengal have no moral right to comment on the integrity of UP police. I should clarify that UP's armed police is considered the best force in the country which has conducted impartial duties in other states, during challenging situations," said Prakash Singh, former Director General of Police (DGP) of UP, regarded as the architect of police reforms in India.

Senior IPS officers of UP were of the view that Trinamool's 'weird' objection over deployment of UP police could affect the morale of the jawans. "The objection seems to be weird. I believe Mamata Banerjee is unaware about the conduct of UP police, its valour, discipline and history. Raising objections on the credibility of UP Police is very unfortunate," said celebrated UP cop Ajai Raj Sharma, former DG of BSF. "For so many years we have been rushing PAC(Pradeshik Armed Police of UP) to other states. On several occasions, heads of various state governments appreciated the PAC's role. PAC was chosen by the Centre(during the Nehru Government) for deployment on the India-Pakistan border , before BSF was not founded. PAC was sought for help in annexation of Hyderabad by Sardar Patel. That's the history and credibility of our force...Mamataji should understand this," Ajai Raj Sharma, a 1966 batch IPS officer told IANS.

Reacting strongly on Trinamool's letter to the Election Commission, objecting to the deployment of 30 companies of UP police in Bengal, former DGP of UP, OP Singh said that Mamata Banerjee and her leaders should first accept the fact that during the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, the UP police was adjudged the best force for conducting violence-free polls in the country's largest populated state. "I am hurt, and I pity Trinamool leaders perception about UP police, for accusing our force of taking political sides. Trinamool has even gone to the extent of dragging CM Yogi Adityanath's name in the controversy. They(Trinamool leaders)should be aware of the fact that any force deployed in the polls are supervised by the EC and not by a CM. Moreover, I have served as DGP for more than two years(2018 to 2020) under Yogi ji. As CM, he gave me a free hand and never intervened in matters of police administration," said OP Singh, a 1983 batch IPS officer of UP Cadre who as police chief introduced the Commissioner police system in the state.

Another decorated police officer and former DG of BSF, Rajnikant Mishra said that it's an attempt to malign the image of armed police. "During the polls, political barbs should not be aimed at policemen. I am of the view that Mamata Banerji, a seasoned politician, should realise that the armed police is different from civil police. Her leaders should know that the armed police of UP protect several top leaders of various political parties.

"Having served for UP police for more than three decades, I would not comment on the politics being played behind the issue, but would certainly admit that such allegations do affect the morale of the jawans," Rajnikant Mishra an IPS officer of 1984 batch told IANS adding, "Tomorrow if the West Bengal police is charged of not being impartial in their duty, how would the police officers of Bengal feel? So let's be fair to men in khaki and do not drag police in politics."

Raising doubts over UP police's impartial conduct, Trinamool Congress has alleged in the letter to EC that the presence of UP cops "would heavily disturb the level playing field and impartiality of the election machinery and we suspect them to have a bias in favour of the BJP. We strongly object to deployment of personnel of S.A.P from UP, since it is governed by Bharatiya Janata Party and their Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath, is a star campaigner for BJP." TMC desires that before the first phase of polling begins in West Bengal, the deployment of armed police of UP in election duty be "stopped."

Source: IANS