Deputy inspector-general of police (Shahabad range) Ajitabh Kumar has proposed upgrade of 10 police stations under his jurisdiction to improve the functioning at the grassroots level in the region.

The officer has submitted a proposal to the state police headquarters, urging it to upgrade four police stations in Bhojpur and two each in Buxar, Kaimur and Rohtas districts. The police stations to be upgraded are Jagdishpur, Bihian, Piro and Nawada in Bhojpur, Dumraon and Brahmapur in Buxar, Mohania and Bhabua in Kaimur and Bikramganj and Dehri in Rohtas districts.

Kumar said the proposal aimed at improving functioning at the police station level, as he often received complaints of senior police officers working under their juniors. “Under such circumstances, the quality of investigation is affected,” he added.

“Once these police stations are upgraded, officers in the rank of inspectors would be posted as station house officers. At present, all these police stations are headed by officers in the rank of sub-inspectors,” he said.

Kumar admitted that several SHOs complained him of seniors not obeying their orders and showing least interest in the investigation of the cases. “As a result, the probe in many cases was delayed and the number of pending cases increased,” he said.

A senior IPS officer, who had earlier served as the superintendent of police of Rohtas, said the Dehri police station was headed by an inspector rank officer till 1988. “But the post of inspector was abolished when T.P. Sinha, a 1966-batch IPS officer, was the DIG of Sahahabad,” he added.