The transfer of Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik two days after MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s demand for his resignation was criticised by retired and former IPS officers. Officers said that Mr Patnaik was made a scapegoat to make Mr Thackeray happy, and that the government should have taken at least a fortnight before transferring him.
“The government made a scapegoat of Mr Patnaik to woo the MNS, as it expects the party to cut into the BJP-Shiv Sena votes. The transfer is arbitrary and wrong on part of the government,” said former IPS officer turned lawyer Y.P. Singh.
Mr Singh said that an inquiry should have been ordered against all the officers involved in the incident before transferring Mr Patnaik. “Why was the permission to carry out a rally given when there was intelligence input that more than thousands of people would throng the venue, that can contain only 1,000 persons?” he added.
Retired Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro said that while the proposal of promotion was pending with the government since June, the public would perceive it as the MNS’ achievement. “It generally takes the government around two months for promotions and transfers. It was just a co-incidence that August 11 riots occurred in between. However, this is the technical side that the people do not know,” he said.
Mr Rebeiro said that if the government had taken 15 days more before deciding on the transfer, it wouldn’t have sent a wrong signal. “This will now be termed as Mr Thackeray’s triumph whereas that is not the case,” he said.