Nov. 25: Downplaying the public frenzy over the transfer of former city superintendent of police (central) Shivdeep Lande to Araria, chief minister Nitish Kumar today said the officer would gain professionally by working in a sensitive district.
“He is an IPS officer and he had to work under a senior superintendent of police (SSP) rank officer in Patna. He has been transferred to Araria, which is a sensitive post,” he said, stressing that all districts had cadre posts for IPS officers.
Nitish also said the residents of the city were feeling secure just because of the work done in the past 11 months (the period in which Lande was posted in Patna).
Without naming Lande, the chief minister said the officer had been transferred to a sensitive district for the benefit of his career.
Nitish also said Araria adjoins the India-Nepal border and has been in news for wrong reasons — syndicates run by criminals-turned-politicians controlling the smuggling business and human trafficking.
Lande has been put to litmus test, as Araria is a goldmine of drug trafficking and smuggling. Close to the Nepal border and under the Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence network, it is difficult say if his Araria posting is a reward or a punishment.
The officer’s sudden transfer is being considered as a punishment in some quarters because he ruffled feathers of several vested interest groups. But a section of people viewed it as an opportunity to perform better.
“Lande, a 2006-batch IPS officer, has been given a more important assignment in Araria than Patna, where he worked under an SSP. In Araria he has been given a free hand to work and rein in outlaws,” a police officer posted at the state police headquarters said.
After assuming charge in Araria yesterday, Lande admitted that there were several challenges before him. “The foremost challenge is the irregularities in the implementation of different government schemes like Indira Awas Yojana.” He said a majority of people in the district are poor and illiterate and some government officers indulge in corrupt practices taking advantage of them.
“The work has started and at least four block development officers and a deputy development commissioner have been identified for indulging in malpractices in the implementation of the government schemes. The police will ensure their arrest,” Lande said.
He added that Araria had an international border and the police were earlier not focused on it. “The Sashastra Seema Bal and the customs department officials are there. But the police, too, have a role to play. Our resources are less but we will be working hard to maintain law and order,” Lande told The Telegraph today over phone.
Besides smuggling and trafficking, dealing with land mafia would also be a big challenge for Lande.
