Pinarayi to convene meeting of police officers on Sunday
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will convene a review meeting of police officers of the rank of Station House officers (SHO) and above on Sunday. As many as 600 cops, including IPS officers, are expected to take part in the online programme, which the police senior officers said was an yearly event.
However, the timing of the event coincides with the massive embarrassment that the police department is currently facing after it was revealed that several top police officers in the state were in touch with self-styled antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, who was arrested by the Crime Branch for cheating and financial fraud. “A meeting between the chief minister, IPS officers and the station house officers, is held every year. Usually the event is held before September, but this time it got delayed. There has been considerable anxiety among officers as the event is scheduled amid the controversy that has bogged down the department,” said a police source.
Meanwhile, fault-lines have emerged in the top echelons of the department with senior IPS officers getting embroiled in the controversy. Insiders told Express that there is deep distrust among officers and that does not bode well for the department.
“The current controversy has taken the turf war among senior officers to a higher level. It has brought out the fissures within the top echelons of the forces. There are apprehensions among the officers that their rival colleagues are leaking information to the media and there is a large degree of distrust among the officers, which is quite palpable,” said a source in the Police Headquarters.
Meanwhile, the chief minister reminded the police that the public judges the government by assessing the actions of the police. Apparently expressing his displeasure over the recent developments, the chief minister during the passing out ceremony of the new police trainees said the police should work for the public.