Sergeant Sudip Maity

Sudip Maity, the 26-year-old sergeant who had complained against his boss for stopping him from performing his duty, has been removed from his post as punishment.

Maity had lodged a general diary on Tuesday against Tapan Kumar Mitra, the officer-in-charge of the Shyambazar traffic guard, alleging that Mitra had tried to prevent him from taking action against a lorry driver on Monday.

The sergeant, who had earlier booked the driver of Tarit Topdar, MP, for a string of traffic offences, was asked on Wednesday to report to the Reserve Office, traffic police, at Lalbazar. The transfer, in other words, means he has been benched.

No action has been taken against Mitra, who had shouted at Maity for booking the lorry driver and instigated about 20 local youths with links to a truckers’ association to heckle him, according to the diary.

K. Harirajan, the additional commissioner (III) in charge of traffic who had backed the sergeant when he had acted against Topdar’s driver, said: “I have instructed the DC, traffic (Manoj Verma), to conduct a probe. I have asked him to visit the spot to talk to the local people and eyewitnesses.

“If the allegations are proved, departmental proceedings will be initiated against the OC.”

Mitra met Harirajan at Lalbazar on Wednesday. Maity too went to the police headquarters and handed a written complaint to the police commissioner, Harirajan and Verma.

Harirajan revealed: “The OC said that there was a complaint against Maity from some local people two months ago.”

Sources wondered why the complaint was not pursued at higher levels. According to Harirajan, Mitra had informed the assistant commissioner, traffic.

Police officials say the charges levelled by Maity, who was in the police’s commando force and where he wants to return, against the OC will be difficult to prove.

While many are surprised by the unprecedented incident of a sergeant going to the extent of registering a diary against his immediate boss, some are also questioning why the complainant rather than the accused has been shunted out.

When a probe is in progress the practice is to take the official being investigated off duty or place him in some other department.

Since the OC has been left alone and action has been taken against the sergeant, the speculation is that Maity has been punished not for making the complaint but for some other reason.

The sergeant spoke to Metro on Tuesday but a day later he was incommunicado.

In the diary, Maity has alleged that pressure had been put on him not to act against the traffic rule violator because money was changing hands.

Monday’s incident, when the sergeant booked the lorry driver, occurred at the Cossipore crossing, which trucks entering and leaving the city use at the northern end.

There is nothing secret about the police taking bribes from truckers who violate nearly every rule in the book, the key among which are restrictions on movement on certain roads and limits on the weight each vehicle can carry.

After the lorry that Maity had booked on Monday paid its fine, the sergeant thought the curtain had dropped on the episode. But on Tuesday, when he was on duty at the same stop, a group of youth descended on him and started abusing him in the presence of the OC who stood by, Maity has said in the diary.

The diary also says that the same gang had participated in the road safety week organised by Mitra a few days ago.