Fearing Dalit backlash, UP does not have DGP for 19 days

On December 31, 2017, Principal Secretary, Home in Uttar Pradesh, Arvind Kumar declared that Om Prakash Singh will be the new Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh Police Force. He wast to succeed incumbent Sulkhan Singh.

"Till the new appointee takes charge, Anand Kumar, Additional Director General (law and order) will look after the day-to-day affairs," he had said in a written statement.

Nineteen days, however, have passed since then and Singh is yet to take charge. There is a huge suspense about what is preventing Singh from taking charge. This has never happened in the annals of Uttar Pradesh police that the highest post of state police has remained vacant for so long.

This happened after Principal Secretary (Home) had said that recommendation has been made by the committee headed by UP Chief Secretary. He said, principal secretary to the chief minister has requested the Central Government to make services of Om Prakash Singh available, who is presently posted as DG CISF, to take over as DG Police.

Opposition is taking a jibe at the BJP Government over this development. Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that law and order in UP is so terrible that the new DGP is afraid of taking charge.

Sources say that it is “dalit” politics which has made Prime Minister Narendra Modi cagey before signing on the transfer of services of Singh from CISF to Uttar Pradesh Government.

A senior official told National Herald, “IB has sent a report to PMO that if Singh joins as UP police DGP, it will send a wrong signal among dalits and might affect the electoral prospects of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2019 elections.”

The report reminds the tenure of Singh as SSP, Lucknow when infamous Guest House episode took place during SP-BSP regime with Mulayam Singh Yadav as Chief Minister of the state, the official claimed. On June 2, 1993, Samajwadi Party workers attacked VIP Guest House where Mayawati was staying in room number one.

BSP alleged that there was an attempt to kill Mayawati and the then SSP remained a mute spectator and sided with the ‘SP goons’. This issue led to a political storm following which the BSP withdrew support and Mayawati became Chief Minister for the first time with support of the BJP.

Sources say BJP leadership is circumspect over Singh taking over as DGP and dalits’ reaction over his appointment. Will Mayawati make it a political issue and if she will be able to unite dalits and bring them back into BSP umbrella, is a big question doing rounds in political corridors.

Singh had joined the Indian Police Service in 1983. He has previously held several positions in UP and at Centre.