Ahead of the first phase of assembly elections on September 18, the police chiefs of four Kashmir districts, including capital Srinagar, were changed on the approval of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday.
The ECI approved new senior superintendents of police (SSPs) for Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara, and a superintendent of police (SP) of the police district of Handwara.
In a communication from the ECI to chief secretary of J&K, secretary BC Patra wrote: “I am directed to refer to you letter dated 29.08.2024, on the subject cited furnishing therewith a panel of officers for posting as SP/SSP Baramulla, Kupwara, Handwara and Srinagar. The commission has approved the following names.”
The ECI approved Imtiyaz Hussain as Srinagar SSP, Mohd Zaid as Baramulla SSP, Ghulam Jeelani Wani as Kupwara SSP and Ifroze Ahmad as Handwara SP as the administration had sent a panel of various names for each district.
The four new district police chiefs replace Ashish Kumar Mishra, Gurinderpal Singh, Shobit Saxena and Dawood Ayoub, respectively. The administration has posted Gurinderpal Singh as incharge director police telecommunication, Shobit Saxena as SSP (headquarters) CID and Dawood Ayoub as SSP (TMG) CID headquarters.
SSP Mohd Zaid on Saturday assumed the charge of Baramulla. “He was received by senior officers of the district. The new SSP was accompanied by outgoing SSP Gurinderpal Singh, who handed him the charge,” a police spokesman said.
After assuming the charge, the Baramulla SSP chaired an introductory meeting with officers in his office chamber.
Meanwhile, the administration transferred Shopian deputy commissioner Faz Lul Haseeb and posted him as managing director, J&K Tourism Development Corporation, relieving Jammu tourism director Vivekanand Rai of the additional charge.
In an order by general administration department, Mohammad Shahid Saleem Dar, director, Forensic Science Laboratory, J&K, was transferred and posted as the Shopian DC.
Questioning the move, National Conference (NC) leader and Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi said his party has written to the ECI regarding the reasons behind the transfers. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, he said, “My colleagues have expressed apprehensions about the postings of police officers. We want ECI to explain what the need of these postings was at this time.”
“The Baramulla SSP was posted there 10 days back. Why was he changed just after 10 days? Was it done at the request of a particular party to benefit them? Apprehensions are natural…,” he said.