STATION HOUSE Officer (SHO) Chinhat RK Sharma caused much embarrassment to the Lucknow police and senior cops on Sunday. He proclaimed himself a ‘baba’ with spiritual power and incited his ‘followers’ against senior cops.
SSP Ashutosh Pandey had issued a notice to the SHO asking him to stop entertaining his ‘followers’ during duty hours and ensuring proper conduct at the police station. The SHO, instead of compliance, provoked hundreds of his ‘followers’ into blocking the Faizabad Road throwing busy traffic out of gear for over four hours on Sunday morning.
The SSP told HT Lucknow Live that the SHO had been warned not to disrupt policing work or stern punitive action would be initiated against him. The situation turned odd for the police after hundreds of ‘followers’ of the ‘baba’ gathered at the Chinhat police station around 10 am. The crowd, actually, gathered at the police station every morning for seeking blessings from Sharma ever since he had taken over charge as the SHO.
However, on Sunday morning, the SHO Sharma appeared before the crowd and declared that he would not be able to bless them as he had been issued a notice against this ‘public service’ He asked the gathering to leave the place immediately. This agitated the crowd.
{{/usCountry}}However, on Sunday morning, the SHO Sharma appeared before the crowd and declared that he would not be able to bless them as he had been issued a notice against this ‘public service’ He asked the gathering to leave the place immediately. This agitated the crowd.
{{/usCountry}}Sharma reportedly went to his cabin provoking the irate crowd to continue with their protest. Soon hundreds of persons including women gathered at the Chinhat crossing forcing all traffic to come to a halt on Faizabad Road.
CO, Gomti Nagar, Man Singh Chauhan and other cops rushed to the scene on being told about the protests. Chauhan tried to pacify the mob but they asked him to call the SSP and other senior cops at the scene and tender an apology for initiating action against their ‘baba’.
The SHO, on the other hand, went missing despite the fact that he was in-charge of the area and there was a law and order problem. Later, the SSP talked to the SHO snubbing him for causing embarrassment to the district police. He ordered the SHO to either get the blockade removed immediately or he would be taken to task.
Sensing trouble the SHO rushed to the scene and pacified the agitators asking them to come over to his official residence at the police station premises. The crowd dispersed immediately from the road and the ‘baba’ took up the task of blessing his ‘followers’ at home!