Patna: Six police stations received new station house officers (SHOs), circle inspectors were changed at four police stations and 15 inspectors and five sub-inspector-rank officers from other police zones were assigned duty in Patna on Tuesday in a move that was seen as an effort to fight rising crime in the state capital and send a signal to the police force.
Kadamkuan, Digha, Didarganj, Airport, Gardanibagh, and Sachiwalya police stations received new SHOs.
Police sources said the new SHOs were appointed primarily to check the illegal liquor trade and illegal sand mining. On September 15, while removing encroachment from the R-Block to Digha train line, the district officials discovered an illegal country liquor brewing factory. More than 1,000 containers of 15 litres each were seized.
The containers were hidden underground in an area spread over an acre. Digha SHO Sachidanand was removed and an order was issued under which he will not be assigned any police station for the next 10 years. Inspector Raghunath Prasad, who has been brought from the Tirhut police zone, has been made the Digha SHO.
Similarly, the office of senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj had information about illegal sand mining going on unabated from the banks of the Ganga in areas under the jurisdiction of the Didarganj and Digha police stations. On August 24, the cops had raided the Didarganj area and seized 32 sand-laden trucks and arrested 16 persons.
"The Patna SSP decided to assign the job of Digha SHO to Raghunath Prasad as the SSP wanted to assign the job to an officer from another district," a senior police officer said.
"It has been observed that police officers who are serving in Patna for years as SHOs tend to develop contacts with local criminals, many a times helping them in illegal activities."
SSP Maharaaj said: "There will be no relaxation in policing in the state capital. This is just the beginning. Under-performing and average police officers will have no place in the state capital. Good police officers serving in other districts will be given an opportunity to serve in the state capital."
