UP IPS officer faces probe over tweets defaming police department
Uttar Pradesh police ordered a probe on Wednesday after a 2010-batch IPS officer alleged in a series of tweets that seniors in the department are targeting subordinates with the Yadav surname.
Uttar Pradesh police ordered a probe on Wednesday after a 2010-batch IPS officer alleged in a series of tweets that seniors in the department are targeting subordinates with the Yadav surname.
The tweets of officer Himanshu Kumar, attached with the director general of police’s (DGP) office in Lucknow, triggered a caste controversy as the state’s Yadav community is typecast as supporters of the Samajwadi Party (SP) founded by Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The BJP dealt a crushing defeat to the SP in the recent assembly elections, winning 325 seats with its allies.
Kumar, who didn’t spare even the DGP in his tweets, deleted the posts later in the day, but kept re-tweeting comments posted in his support.
He said his comments were misinterpreted. But an inquiry was ordered nonetheless.
In first of the tweets in the morning, Kumar wrote: “There is now a rush among senior officers to suspend/send to reserve lines all police personnel who have ‘Yadav’ surname.”
But officers dismissed the allegation, saying the new BJP government in the state has not ordered any police transfers.
Kumar’s second post was more damaging. “Why is DGP office forcing officers to punish people in the name of caste?”
He tagged chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s official twitter handle in some of his posts.
In his clarification, Kumar tweeted: “Some people have misunderstood my tweet. I support the initiative of the government.”
Kumar was removed as SP, Firozabad, after the assembly elections and attached to DGP headquarters in Lucknow. He is currently on medical leave.
The IPS officer was in the news last July for filing a case against his estranged wife, Priya Singh, in Noida. He alleged that she had hacked into his email accounts to obtain bank statements and personal details.
Inspector general of police VS Meena said additional director general PC Meena will inquire into the salacious tweets. DGP Javeed Ahmad refused comments.
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