Dadwal wanted special cell DCP to stay on

Days before the transfer of Delhi Police special cell deputy commissioner of police Alok Kumar, police chief Y.S. Dadwal had written requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to stall the process till the Commonwealth Games.

Days before the transfer of Delhi Police special cell deputy commissioner of police Alok Kumar, police chief Y.S. Dadwal had written requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to stall the process till the Commonwealth Games.

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Alok Kumar, DCP (Special Cell), was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh on Monday.

Kumar’s transfer has led to a void in the core team of the elite Special Cell that cracked important cases—the most distinct being the arrest of alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists who were reportedly responsible for several blasts across India, including the Delhi serial blasts in 2008.

Sources said Dadwal had requested the MHA to delay the transfer of Kumar. “The police chief had written a letter but the request was turned down.

“As there are hardly any seasoned officers left in the unit, it would have been better if someone experienced officer remained at the helm of affairs,” said a senior police officer.

Kumar’s transfer was due for the past two years and he had been held back as the investigations into the Batla House encounter were underway.

Kumar was the only remaining member of the core team that had cracked the September 13 serial blasts in the city.

A week after the blasts, the cell lost one of its best investigators —Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in an encounter.

Few months later, JCP Karnal Singh was transferred to the northern range.

In February this year, 40-year-old Head Constable Rajbir, part of the Batla raiding team, died in an accident.

The accident happened while special cell officers were returning from Lucknow after assisting the Crime Branch in the transfer of Shahzad alias Pappu, an alleged IM member.

Sub-Inspector Ravinder Tyagi, a member of Sharma’s team, was seriously injured.