It is the police Commisionerate system which is soon going to be a new milestone in the historical evolution of UP Police

UP Police Commissionerate:

A history in the making

OP Singh, delivered a masterstroke which will remain enviable for any Leader of UP Police in the years to come.

Sneh Madhur

Lucknow.

The history is almost made. The timing of this gigantic decision could not have been better.

UP Police has been in the throes of turbulence in the last few weeks.
On the one hand it bore the brunt of the fiercest protests in the country over the CAA issue and on the other hand the ‘Vaibhav Krishna episode’ landed it in a cesspool of controversy.

The anti CAA protests was swiftly handled and the situation was brought under control in no time and similarly the controversy post Vaibhav Krishna’s allegation was deftly dealt with in a fair manner by not only his suspension but also removal of those officers on whom allegations were levelled.

Ironically but interestingly, the Vaibhav Krishna episode has proved to be a blessing in disguise for the UP Police.

As an offshoot it led to the impossible in UP Police !!!

Something which was dreamt, discussed, deliberated and demanded by the top brass in UP Police from the political executive but never conceded, landed in it’s kitty unexpectedly.

It is the police Commisionerate system which is soon going to be a new milestone in the historical evolution of UPPolice. This will soon be implemented once it’s passed by the cabinet in the two most important cities of UP, i.e. Noida and Lucknow.
The dexterous handling of the anti CAA protest and the Vaibhav Krishna controversy and the heralding of commissionerate system bear the stamp of a strong authority, assertive leadership and decisiveness of DGP UP OP Singh.

His strong bonding with the CM is rarest for any of the DGP’s in the recent past.

What is appreciable is the fact that he has used CM’s trust for wresting benefits for UP Police system building and strengthening the institution of DGP rather than becoming autocratic, unaccountable and corrupt.

Some DGPs close to government in UP have indulged in several malpractices brazenly and remainder unperturbed.
The beauty of OP Singh’s leadership lies in being consensual, in taking even his worst critics on board. Insiders reveal that he has often made senior and rival DG’s part of every deliberation and even decision making eventually winning them over but when it comes to taking strong decisions, he is unwavering.

Whispers from the corridors vouch for it that he steamrolled the commissionerate proposal despite stiff resistance from the IAS bureaucracy and obtained the consent of CM.
The entrenched IAS lobby has always diluted the demands for autonomy and commissionerate system as it whittles their authority.

During the chief ministership of Ram Naresh yadav in 1979, S.V.M Tripathi was posted as the first commissioner of police in Kanpur on a pilot basis but while he was on his way to Kanpur to join he was called back midway due to stiff resistance from the IAS bureaucracy.

In a police week in Akhilesh Yadav’s Government, the chief minister constituted a panel on the demands of commissionerate system by the then DGP. The panel was asked to study the system exhaustively and give it’s recommendation.

This was a hogwash at the behest of the IAS lobby who scuttled it cleverly.
But this time they had met their match.
They were face to face with a DGP whose bonhomie with the CM and determination left them with no choice. It is because of the same confidence of CM the DGP has been able to have his say in transfer posting of IPS and PPS officers and insulate his officers from political pressure.
OP Singh’s unique leadership style may have earned him more detractors than loyalists but he has remained unfazed and struts around the horizon of UPPolice like a true army general with unflinching determination to raise the bar.

When most of the officers would be preparing to go to the pavilion in the last few days of retirement, OP Singh delivered a masterstroke which will remain enviable for any Leader of UP Police in the years to come.

Will this masterstroke help him to get extension of his retirement which is due on 31st January 2020?