Guwahati, Jan 31: Assam special DGP (law and order) Gyanendra Pratap Singh on Tuesday took charge as the state’s DGP, while committing that inappropriate behaviour by police officers and personnel would not be tolerated and that punitive action would be taken against any erring police personnel.
Addressing mediapersons at the state police headquarters here, Singh said, “I am absolutely clear that bad behaviour shall not be tolerated in Assam Police at all. I am not thinking in terms of taking punitive action in the beginning…but if the behaviour does not improve then I will not hesitate to take punitive measures against those police officers who indulge in wanton bad behaviour with the public. This is my commitment to the people of the state,”
Born on November 8, 1967, Singh, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1991 batch of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, replaces Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta who attained superannuation on Tuesday.
Further, the new DGP promised the people of the state that apart from carrying out operations against crime and criminals, he would personally take note of any complaint against police officials misbehaving with citizens.
“The aim is to create a citizen-centric police force in the state. Have faith and trust in us. Mistakes might be committed but they would be rectified,” he said.
On the “ruthless” style of functioning of the Assam police of late, Singh said, “I had said and I still believe that all measures that are provided by law to the Assam Police shall be used to counter crime and criminals so that people are kept safe. There is a vast spectrum of action that can be taken in this regard. The most important pillar of action against crime and criminals is good investigation, good prosecution and good forensics – this shall be the bedrock of Assam Police in the next few years.”
He however said that the investigation part has ample scope for improvement, especially the forensic support to investigation for which multiple rounds of deliberations with the government have been held.
“The state government has already engaged a forensic expert who is preparing a blueprint and architecture for the growth of forensics in Assam. So with government support and improvement in forensic infrastructure, a better charge-sheet in court can be presented,” Singh said, adding that the state police force would strive to improve its investigation.
The new DGP further emphasised that he would at the same time address the genuine complaints and grievances of the junior-level officers and personnel in the state police force.
“I will not leave my junior officers without support. I am completely with the 70,000 police officers and police personnel who have supported me in the 32 years of my service in the police force. I have to give my police officers an environment to serve the people of the state in an effective manner,” he said.
It may be recalled that Singh had joined the elite Special Protection Group in New Delhi in 2002. During this period, he achieved specialised capabilities in VVIP protection.
In recognition of his capabilities, he was given the responsibility of heading the close protection detail of two successive Prime Ministers of India, both within and outside the country.
On his return from Delhi assignment, Singh was posted as the deputy inspector general and, subsequently, as inspector general of police in Guwahati, where he was instrumental in dismantling the network of militant groups such as ULFA and NDFB, at a time when Guwahati was grappling with the scourge of IED explosions.
This was achieved largely due to improved intelligence networks and community participation with aid of the police authority.