Thiruvananthapuram: The ongoing drive to sanitise the Kerala Police force by weeding out criminal elements and those with ties to the mafia seems to spare those in the higher echelons. No inquiry or action has been initiated on the goonda ties of senior-rank police officers, including those of the Indian Police Service.
Even as actions, including suspensions and transfer, were taken against 63 cops so far, it was limited to those in the posts of Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySP) and below.
The cops ranking from Superintendent of Police (SP) and above have been excluded from the Director General of Police's data collection aimed at police personnel involved in serious crimes.
The DGP's letter in this regard specifically mentions that only data of those from Civil Police Officers up to DySPs need to be collected. It implies that the criminal involvement of officers ranked SP and higher has to be condoned!
Thus officer A V George, who was the Ernakulam (Rural) SP during the custodial death of Sreejith in Varappuzha in April 2018 was named a mere ‘witness’ in the chargesheet prepared after a probe by superiors. More than 10 policemen including Circle Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors are accused in the sensational case, but policemen in lower ranks have to face the music.
The high-ranking officers are being protected by senior officers neglecting the intelligence reports against senior officers including SPs and Inspectors General (IGs).
While actions taken are limited to ordinary policemen, the question within the force is whether those in higher ranks are all innocent and upright. But it is well-known fraudster Monson Mavunkal's police friend circle had only those in the post of DGP!
