WARNS AGAINST INDISCIPLINE IN THE FORCE;
ASKS HOME SECY, DGP & CPS TO PROBE & SUGGEST ACTION
Chandigarh, April 7:
Taking
serious note of media reports suggesting dissension among the top brass of the
Punjab Police, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday warned that
he would not tolerate any indiscipline in the force.The Chief Minister
discussed the issue with Home Secretary NS Kalsi, DGP Suresh Arora and CPS to
CM Suresh Kumar, and directed them to examine the matter and suggest suitable
action, as necessary to resolve the same.Captain Amarinder Singh was of the
view that any grievance by any member of the police force, including those
against colleagues, should be routed through the well-established
administrative procedures and channels laid down for the purpose. There were
well laid down hierarchies that needed to be stringently adhered to, if the
police force was to function efficaciously, he added.The Chief Minister said
that as a former member of a uniformed force, he was of the opinion that any
act of indiscipline was a matter of grave concern, to be treated with
seriousness. The 80,000 strong Punjab Police force naturally looked up to its
senior officers for leadership and direction, he said, adding that internal
discord or friction could seriously undermine its professional and operational
capabilities.The Punjab Police, which had bravely fought militancy in the State
in the 1980s and 90s, was required to be both professional and transparent in
its functioning in order to effectively deal with the various challenges on the
crime and law & order front, the Chief Minister pointed out.Police
personnel, especially senior officers, were in the public eye at all times and
needed to exercise due caution in their personal and professional conduct,
Captain Amarinder Singh stressed, making it clear that he would not hesitate to
take stern action, if needed, to check indiscipline.The Chief Minister directed
the Home Secretary and the DGP to ensure that all investigations in the drugs
cases are carried out impartially, without fear or favour. His government was
committed not only to the elimination of drugs but also to stringent
punishment, under the law, to those responsible for destroying the state’s
future generation with this menace, he asserted.
