Two months ago, Kollam city police commissioner Ajeetha Begum, and Pathanamthitta district superintendent of police Satheesh Bino had applied for NOC to go on a three-year deputation at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad.Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government's move to transfer IPS couple - S Ajeetha Begum and Satheesh Bino, who have applied to go on central deputation, - and post an officer who faced Vigilance probe in the place of the latter has triggered a controversy.
The order to appoint SP Jacob Job, who had been placed under suspicion following a Vigilance inquiry, as the Pathanamthitta district police chief was put on hold after it became evident that the transfer order was passed without taking the chief minister’s instruction into consideration.
Two months ago, Kollam city police commissioner Ajeetha Begum, and Pathanamthitta district superintendent of police Satheesh Bino had applied for NOC to go on a three-year deputation at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad.
They personally met chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and sought his intervention in the matter after the home department failed to take any action on their request. Subsequently, the chief minister instructed his personal staff to initiate the necessary measure to issue the order at the earliest. However, instead of giving them the clearance to go on deputation, the home department removed them from their posts without assigning new duties.
A Srinivas is the new Kollam city commissioner.
As the Pathanamthitta SP is in charge of the security arrangements at Sabarimala for the Makaravilakku festival, the decision to transfer the officer just weeks before the event has drawn flak from various quarters.
Normally, officers who have applied for deputation are transferred only after issuing the NOC.
The chief minister realized the mistake only after Ajeetha Begum met him during the CPM Kollam district conference recently. The chief secretary (home) cleared their applications after the CM instructed the Home Department to issue the NOC immediately.
The IPS couple, who are known for their integrity and efficiency, applied for the NOC after the director of the Police Academy in Hyderabad requested the state government to send them on deputation.
It was also alleged that the couple was transferred to facilitate the appointment of Jacob Job, who has only a month-and-a-half left for retirement.
Former Thrissur city police commissioner Jacob Job had been suspended from service after inquires revealed that he had unnecessarily interfered in the investigation of the murder of security guard Chandrabose and had close links with the main accused Mohammed Nisham.
After the move snowballed into a controversy, DGP Loknath Behera asked both Ajeetha Begum and Satheesh Bino to continue in their posts till the conclusion of the Makaravilakku festival.
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