Inamdar shunted, Malhotra new DGP

Inamdar shunted, Malhotra new DGP
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, JANURY 4: In a major shake up in the top police brass, the first after the Congress-led Democratic Front government came to power in October, Director General of Police Arvind Inamdar has been unceremoniously shifted to the newly created post of Advisor and DGP (Administrative Reforms and Training), Pune.

Director General of Police (Anti-Corruption Bureau) Subhash Chandra Malhotra will be the new DGP in place of Inamdar, while S K Iyengar, DGP (Home Guards) will replace Malhotra. Malhotra's stint as police commissioner in the city was marred by a steep rise in crime, especially of the underworld variety, causing his transfer by the Sena-BJP government.

The new posting for Inamdar is being perceived as demotion for the top cop in the state police hierarchy. Though Inamdar declined to comment on his new posting, he is unlikely to take up the new assignment.

``We don't think that Inamdar, a police official of very high integrity, will accept demotion. We feel that he should resign in protestagainst the politically motivated transfer order,'' according to a senior police official.

Inamdar, an IPS official of the 1964 batch, was instrumental in taking up the cause of the police personnel, particularly those of constables and sub-inspectors. Though he was not close to any political party, ever since the Vilasrao Deshmukh government came to power, he was at loggerheads with Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

The relations between Bhujbal and Inamdar reached a flash point, when the former abruptly shifted half a dozen top police officials without consulting the DGP. Inamdar immediately lodged a protest with the chief minister.

For the last one week, there were strong differences between Bhujbal and Deshmukh over the shifting of Inamdar as well as Commissioner of Police R H Mendonca. However, ultimately, Inamdar was shifted, while Mendonca has not been touched as yet.

Bhujbal has been wanting to shunt Inamdar right from the time he took charge as Home Minister but it was kept pending onlybecause the chief minister opposed it on the ground that if moving Inamdar to any other post would be a demotion.

Senior bureaucrats have expressed shock and surprise over the transfer of Inamdar. ``There was no reason for his transfer. Such abrupt transfers will adversely affect the credibility of the new government,'' one of them said.