Probe against senior cops

AT LAST the recalcitrant bureaucracy, especially the police, which has acquired a dubious distinction for deliberately causing upheaval in the lives of law-abiding citizens, has been rattled.

AT LAST the recalcitrant bureaucracy, especially the police, which has acquired a dubious distinction for deliberately causing upheaval in the lives of law-abiding citizens, has been rattled.

HT Image

In an unprecedented and unsparing move, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday ordered vigilance inquiry against those police officers who were involved in the grabbing of the chamber of a lawyer Nigmendra Shukla. Sources said, axe was likely to fall on senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vijay Singh Meena, inspector Kotwali Vijay Pal Singh Yadav and others.

The order passed by Justice AP Shahi came after the court was convinced that some senior officers were indirectly helping the house-grabber. It all began after the lawyer in question came back from a visit to Nainital and found his name plate missing and three rooms, occupied by him in a house in South Malaka locality, grabbed.

The manner in which the outpost in-charge Badshahi Mandi Abdul Majeed appeared on the scene and talked to the victim gave enough reason to the lawyer to conclude that there was something fishy.

The outpost in-charge South Malaka HCP Arvind Kumar took the lawyer's complaint but expressed his helplessness to extend any help even though law was on the victim's side. The lawyer rushed to IG Suvrat Tripathi, who initially did his bit. A day later, the lawyer was handed over the keys of just one room while the remaining two rooms were still in the possession of the grabber. On his part, the inspector Kotwali also expressed helplessness in retrieving the two other grabbed rooms.

Earlier, IG Suvrat Tripathi had been summoned by the High Court. The officer had assured the court of action. The court had fixed June 22 for taking up the matter.