Following the suspension of former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh and reports of his secret meeting with former cop Sachin Vaze, in conversation with The Quint, retired IPS Officer Yashovardhan Azad spoke about Mumbai's tainted top cops and the ramifications of the taint on the Indian Police fraternity.
How could Param Bir Singh and Sachin Vaze pull off a secret meeting?
If they’ve managed a meeting, they must have used their old trust and loyal sources, which they must be having because they have long, long years of service within Mumbai.
What action should be taken over lapse of protocol?
I would have first suspended the entire team, which was supposed to take care of Vaze and where exactly he was supposed to be taken and where exactly, unfortunately, he was not taken. It is pretty easy to find out who are the people who arranged the meeting and are responsible for it. If there is an inquiry and some deep questions are asked, you would know who all are involved. I do hope this does not end with just one suspension but the entire staff, which was able to arrange such a thing, is suspended. It’s a very grave lapse, I would say from my understanding.
Why weren't cases against Param Bir Singh probed sooner?
Why weren’t these cases instituted in the beginning if there were reports from before? When a police commissioner is absconding and refuses to appear before the Chandiwal Commission, why wasn't there a shock or an element of surprise or at least an element of probe or inquiry done right in the beginning? I mean, this is a sham. It should have come sooner.
How does Param Bir's suspension reflect on the IPS or police fraternity?
What is an issue is the suspension of Param Bir. What is an issue is that an IPS officer like him has been suspended. What is an issue is that there are four extortion cases against him. For a person of the rank of the Director General of police, this is a shock for the entire IPS brethren. I am myself shocked and ashamed that such a thing has happened.
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