Commissioner pulls up ACPs

Commissioner pulls up ACPs
Deccan Herald

Bangalore City Police Commissioner Ajai Kumar Singh has pulled up the Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) of certain sub-divisions for their “delayed responses” in checking the violence that flared up in the aftermath of Rajkumar’s death on Wednesday and Thursday last.

He took the ACPs to task for their “delay” in communicating and responding to wireless messages.

The commissioner had summoned all the City ACPs here on Sunday to discuss in detail as to what went wrong in the aftermath of Rajkumar’s death leading to violence, arson and looting.

Sources said that the commissioner was furious over the lethargy of the officers who were found wanting in swift response to orders from higher-ups.

Mr Singh mainly referred to the chaos at Cauvery theatre junction and Poornaprajna grounds in Sadashivanagar where maximum damage was caused to public properties on both Wednesday and Thursday.

‘Deliberate delay’

“Some police officers and their battalions deliberately delayed arriving at the scene,” the commissioner is learnt to have told the officers.

“Apart from the police department’s video footages and photographs, we have procured video clippings from various private TV channels and this will help us in getting to the bottom of the police action,” the commissioner said. However, Mr Singh also praised some officers — he reportedly even named them — whose daring responses helped curb the violence to an extent.

Meanwhile, the police are busy recording the fingerprints of the 700-odd persons who have been rounded up in connection with the violence.

Police sources said that in some instances, the fingerprints have tallied with those collected earlier in cases of dacoity, robbery and murder.

As many as 173 cases have been booked under charges of arson, criminal conspiracy, looting, murder and attempt to murder against the arrested.

The City Crime Branch has been entrusted with investigation of some these cases, particularly the conspiracy angle.