Maharashtra: Is stay on transfers of 5 IPS officers a repeat of July'20 episode, asks oppn

Devendra Fadnavis, leader of Opposition in assembly

Staying the transfers of five IPS officers a night after they were issued orders has raised eyebrows in the Opposition camp which demanded to know the real reason. It recalled a similar rollback two years ago, which later courted controversy and a probe by a central agency. In a major reshuffle on Wednesday night, 40 officers of various ranks were shifted including the elevation of 11 SP/DCP rank officers to addl commissioner (deputy inspector general). As part of the rejig, some officers were also posted in Mumbai and Thane and five such transfers were stayed the next morning.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray stalled the transfer following opposition from Eknath Shinde, said sources. File pic

Sources in the government blamed the stay on a disagreement between the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, which controls the home department. They said senior Sena leader and guardian minister of Thane, Eknath Shinde, opposed the transfers as his views were not considered by Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, following which Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray stalled the transfer order of five officers. Earlier in July 2020, internal transfers of 10 DCP-rank officers in Mumbai were stayed and the order was revised after considering the Sena's viewpoint.

The officers who have been asked to stay back till further orders are Rajendra Mane (presently DCP, intelligence who was transferred as additional CP, East Region, Thane), Mahesh Patil (DCP, crime, Mira-Bhayandar who was shifted as additional CP, Traffic Branch, Mumbai), Sanjay Jadhav (SP, Highway Safety who was posted as additional CP, Administration, Thane), Punjabrao Ugale (SP, ACB, Thane who was posted as additional CP, Local Arms, Mumbai) and Dattatraya Shinde (SP, Palghar who was transferred as additional CP, Protection and Security, Mumbai).

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said, "We should know the real reason. Is it an administrative fault or is it like the transfers of 10 DCPs which were stayed two years ago, and now they are on the CBI scanner in the transfer scam? It is understood it was part of vasooli (bribe for transfer). We should know whether it is like the past or something else."

5
No. of officers whose transfers have been stayed

40
No. of officers whose transfer orders were issued on Wednesday