In the wake of a fresh spurt of violence in Saharanpur, the UP government, on 24 May, suspended Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Subas Chandra Dubey and the District Magistrate (DM) NP Singh over their failure to bring the situation under control.
An official spokesperson said:
SSP Subhash Chandra Dubey and District Magistrate N P Singh have been suspended while Divisional Commissioner N P Agarwal and DIG J K Shahi have been transferred
While Bablu Kumar has been posted as SSP, Saharanpur, Pramod Kumar Pandey will be the new DM, the official said.
KS Emmanuel has been named the new DIG.
No official reason has been cited for the action, but it is believed that the top officials were removed after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed displeasure as they could not control the situation in Saharanpur district.
On 10 May, SP (City) Sanjay Singh and SP (Rural) Rafeeq Ahmed were transferred for not being able to handle the multiple caste-based clashes that have rocked the region since earlier this month. Prabal Pratap Singh was made the new SP (City), while Vidya Sagar Mishra was made the new SP (Rural) following the transfers.
One person was killed and four others injured in the clashes on 23 May, after a sword-wielding mob attacked a group of BSP supporters, from Sarsawa town, who had come to attend Mayawati’s rally in the city.
Police sources said the attackers allegedly fired guns and wielded batons, killing Ashish, 24, on the spot and injuring four others.
The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to the family of Ashish, who hails from Sarsawa, while Rs 50,000 was granted to each of the injured victims.
This is the fourth such incident in the area in the past three weeks and the police has reportedly deployed a larger force in the area.
Meanwhile, two unidentified miscreants shot at a man in Saharanpur. The victim has been hospitalised.
Mobile Internet, Messaging Services Suspended in Saharanpur
Mobile internet and messaging services were suspended on Wednesday night in this violence-hit district of Uttar Pradesh, with officials saying the decision was taken to maintain peace and ensure law and order.
"In view of the present situation, CRPC section 144 has been invoked to control law and order. All telecom operators have been asked to suspend all forms of mobile internet and messeging services until further orders," NP Singh, outgoing district magistrate, said in an order.
"The decision has been taken to maintain peace and law and order," he said.
However, the order is not binding on police and administrative officials.
Those not following the order will be liable for action under section 188 of IPC, Singh said.
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