UP IPS cadre of 407 faced 2,454 transfers under Akhilesh rule

As per RTI information, there were 78 IPS officers who were transferred on 10 or more occasions

During its five year rule between March 2012 and March 2017, the previous Akhilesh Yadav government had effected a total of 2,454 transfers of the Indian Police Service (IPS) officers.

Against the total strength of 407 pertaining to the state IPS officers, the cadre was collectively subjected to 2,454 transfers, making it over six times the cadre strength in UP.

These facts have been provided by UP Police Inspector General (personnel) P C Meena in reply to an RTI query raised by social and RTI activist Nutan Thakur.

As per the RTI information, there were 78 IPS officers in UP who were transferred on 10 or more occasions during the five-year Samajwadi Party (SP) rule.

Umesh Kumar Srivastava was transferred for maximum 20 times, followed by Anees Ahmad Ansari 18, Rajendra Prasad Pandey 17 and Dilip Kumar 16 times.

Himanshu Kumar, who was recently been suspended by the incumbent state government, was transferred 15 times in the past regime.

Among the other IPS officers suspended during this period, IG Amitabh Thakur, who is also the husband of Nutan Thakur, was kept suspended for a maximum of 10 months, while others were reinstated much earlier.

Nutan Thakur observed owing to 'rapid' pace of transfers under the previous Akhilesh rule, on an average 1.3 IPS officers were transferred every day during the five-year SP regime.